VICPort & river
Footscray
A river crossing that became Melbourne’s industrial west.
1839Punt crosses the Saltwater River
WHAT STARTED IT
In 1839 a punt was put across the Saltwater (Maribyrnong) River, linking Melbourne with Williamstown and Geelong, and an inn soon opened beside it. A township was surveyed on the western bank near the punt in 1849.
WHAT SUSTAINED IT
Railways arrived in 1859, and from the 1860s riverside works for tallow, hides, meat preserving and fertiliser, along with basalt quarries, made Footscray an industrial town. It became a city in 1891, and the municipality’s population peaked at more than 60,000 in 1961.
TURNING POINTS
1839A punt begins carrying travellers across the Saltwater River towards Williamstown and Geelong.
1859Footscray is proclaimed a municipality, and railway lines to Williamstown and Sunbury open.
1863A road bridge opens across the river.
1891Footscray is proclaimed a city.
1995Footscray merges with part of Sunshine to form the City of Maribyrnong.
WHAT IT DOES NOW
A diverse inner-western suburb and the seat of the City of Maribyrnong, home to large Vietnamese and Horn of Africa communities. Manufacturing has declined, and much riverside industrial land has been redeveloped for housing.