Melbourne's Notorious CANVAS TOWN of the 1850s

In the early 1850s, the dazzling news of Victoria’s gold rush had drawn thousands upon thousands of prospective diggers across the world.

Every heart was filled with hope, but after a long and difficult sea voyage, many migrants were faced with a harsh reality upon reaching Melbourne’s shore – there was nowhere to sleep, little to eat, and everything came at an exorbitantly high cost.

In 1852, Governor La Trobe addressed the housing crisis with the establishment of Canvas Town, a haPhazard tent city which stood to the south of the Yarra River, near Princes Bridge.

Hundreds upon hundreds of tents of all kinds were erected, with thoroughfares (thurrowfairs) being named after well-known streets in England – including Regent Street, Bond Street, and Liverpool Street. Canvas Town boasted a myriad of stores and services, including butchers, bakers, tailors, shoemakers, blacksmiths, and more. There were even physicians and dentists on hand.

Tents could be rented for a few shillings a week, allowing the seemingly endless number of migrants who flooded into Melbourne to have temporary shelter while preparing for their arduous journeys from Melbourne to the gold diggings.

However, living conditions were less than ideal. Illness was rife due to the poor sanitation, cramped living quarters, and close proximity to the polluted Yarra River.

Many news articles reported on the sufferings of the inhabitants of Canvas Town, describing it as choked with dust, stifled with heat, and alternately drenched with rain.

Canvas Town, although born out of good intentions and great necessity, quickly deteriorated into a slum.

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Historical images and maps - State Library Victoria and National Library of Australia.