Australian Trivia Only

[Eddy]

I remember having to read "Robbery under Arms " whilst at school and then having to write up a short description of it. Never knew the author's real name was Tom Brown

[native pepper]

What was the original name of Melbourne.

I only knew his name was Tom brown, when a librarian told me after I'd finished reading the book and asked about other books by him. She asked if I had read tom browns school days as that was the real name of the author of robbery under arms, but had never heard of tom browns school days and when I looked at it, didn't like it at all.

[supersparky]

I think it was Batman after John Batman. There was another bloke Fawkner I think, as well. Always thought Batman Ave was named after him from the site of the original settlement. Probably should have more attention at school and to my grandfather when we used to do walking tours of inner Melbourne when I was a very young kid.

[native pepper]

Sorry David close, the area of Melbourne was called Woiwurrong and was home to 3 clans of about 20000 indigenous for over 40000 years. The first modern name was, Batmania.

[Greynomad]

According to SWMBO's history books (she taught VCE Aust Hist) it was "Bearbrass".
God only knows where that came from!

(That was to be my next Trivia Q when it was my turn, NP, you beat me to it! )

Edit: SWMBO has explained that “Bearbrass” was an Anglicisation of what the white settlers thought the natives were saying when asked what they called the place.
What they were actually saying was “Birrarung”.

[native pepper]

There were various titles that were used for Melbourne, the first was Batmania, and then Bearbrass, Bareport, Bareheep, Barehurp and Bareberp. But the original name for 40000+ before the christian invasion was, Woiwurrong.

[Greynomad]

NP,
Looks like you consulted the SMH version favoured by Mr Google.
More authoritative sources disagree.
However, as it was your source from Google, I think we should accept it.

ps. I would have framed the question as “the aboriginal name” as prior to the white arrival, there was no permanent settlement on the location, only temporary dwellings, & fish traps in tidal waters.

[native pepper]

NP,
Looks like you consulted the SMH version favoured by Mr Google.
More authoritative sources disagree.
However, as it was your source from Google, I think we should accept it.

ps. I would have framed the question as “the aboriginal name” as prior to the white arrival, there was no permanent settlement on the location, only temporary dwellings, & fish traps in tidal waters.

My sources come from my family and from the studies I did when young and over the decades, spending a lot of time in libraries as a kid to avoid the education inspectors, religious posses and police.

There were permanent stone, timber and cave dwellings along the Yarra, people lived there permanently for thousands of years. I follow the real history and not the made up one by the christian networks who seem to think they have the right to change history to suit their agenda. Terra nullius comes to mind, which was created by the christians so they could claim Aus and they took it by genocidal force, which is par for the course of the religious.

[Newcastle George]

NP, I think it is time for you to stop deriding everyone you don't agree with.

George

[native pepper]

NP, I think it is time for you to stop deriding everyone you don't agree with.

George

George, who have I derided?