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Why was Melbourne unusual among Australian state capitals at the time it was founded?
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Melbourne
Aerial view of Melbourne's central business district, with Princes Bridge and Flinders Street train station in the foreground.
Melbourne is distinguished from other Australian state capitals because it was founded unofficially through individual enterprise rather than by government mandate.1
In 1835, pioneers such as John Batman and John Fawkner established the settlement on the banks of the Yarra River in defiance of a British government edict that forbade settlement in the territory. Because the area was already part of the colony of New South Wales, the authorities in Sydney were eventually forced to recognize the fait accompli, sending civil officials to the Port Phillip District in 1836 to manage the growing population.123