Melbourne’s Suburban Sprawl SLV Display

• November 2012–November 2013
• The Changing Face of Victoria
• Dome Galleries (Level 5)
  
• State Library Victoria
• Swanston Street
• Melbourne, Victoria
• Australia
  
  
• Curator: Christine Eid

Melburnian's passion for real estate dates as far back as the founding of the city itself.

In 1837 senior surveyor Robert Hoddle was the auctioneer at Melbourne's first land sale, and in 1839 the area now known as Fitzroy and Collingwood was the site of Melbourne's first suburban subdivision.

Land speculators promoted the notion of the suburbs as a retreat from city life, appealing to both the middle and the working classes.

A new display in The Changing Face of Victoria exhibition explores the State Library Victoria's substantial collection of land subdivision posters that document the development of the suburbs and the continuing expansion of Melbourne's city fringe.

Serving as real estate advertisements, these posters provide great insight into the shifting values and aspirations of Melburnians over time.