Canvas Town, South Melbourne.

C.19th engraving showing a historical perspective of what life was like in the early settlement of Melbourne.

The area featured a single hill (where the Town Hall now stands) surrounded by swamps, the Hill was a traditional social and ceremonial meeting place for Aboriginal tribes. The area was first settled by Europeans in the 1840s and became known as Emerald Hill.  During the Victorian Gold Rush of 1851 a tent city, known as Canvas Town was established.