John Batman was an Australian farmer, explorer, and businessman, who was the first settler in Melbourne.He was born on January 21, 1801, in Rose Hill, Parramatta, and his early life was spent in New South Wales and then in Van Diemen’s Land as a farmer. Here he had made a name for himself by capturing bushrangers Thomas Jeffries and Matthew Brady.John Batman’s arrival in Melbourne happened when he was exploring the Port Phillip area of the Australian mainland and negotiated a treaty with the area’s aboriginal people. This treaty exchanged aboriginal land for food, tools, and blankets. Hence, Batmania was founded, which later became Melbourne. He lived here with his wife Eliza Thompson, seven daughters, and a son. He passed away in 1839 at the age of 38. Batman’s death was a result of syphilis.If you liked reading this article, why not check out our other articles like Zinedine Zidane facts and Andres Bonifacio facts.John Batman: Life HistoryJohn Batman was the second son of William Batman and Mary Batman. His parents had arrived at the Australian mainland, Sydney, in a convict ship called the Ganges in 1797. William was a convict who had stolen saltpeter, an ingredient used in making gunpowder. On the other hand, Mary was a passenger with their two kids, Maria and Robert. Batman studied at Tull’s Elementary School when he was young.In 1821, John left and went to Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania) and took residence in the northeast, near Ben Lomond. In 1826, he caught bushranger Thomas Jeffries and later bushranger Matthew Brady. As compensation for this, he was given extra land. He then became a farmer. In 1828, he married Elizabeth Callaghan, a former convict herself at St John’s, Launceston.In 1835, he explored Port Phillip Bay, where he claimed to have negotiated a treaty with the local aboriginal leaders of that area. This treaty gave the vast land to Batman in return for knives, food, blankets, and yearly rent. While hardly being fair trade, this treaty was the first attempt to create an agreement between the white settlers and the local aboriginals.The treaty was deemed invalid as such a treaty was not possible under European law, as all land in Australia belonged to the British crown.Batman died in 1839 from syphilis. He is currently buried in the Fawkner cemetery. Interestingly, this cemetery is named after his rival, John Pascoe Fawkner.John Batman: Best Known ForJohn Batman is best known for his part in founding Melbourne. He had signed the Batman treaty with the aboriginal people of South Australia for ownership of the land. In this treaty, Batman received thousands of hectares of land in exchange for giving things like food, weapons, blankets, and an annual rent to the local aborigines. This treaty made the formation of Batmania, later known as Melbourne.Batman’s treaty stands as the only treaty by an Australian settler that gave recognition to the right of the Australian aboriginals to the land they lived in.In current times, Batman is a contradictory figure with people realizing his selfish endeavor with the treaty and his treatment of local aborigines.Many places have been named after him in Australia, like Batman lane, Batman Park, Batman road, Melbourne Batman Avenue, John Batman drive, and Batman’s hill.How did John Batman found Melbourne?John Batman was a leading member of the Port Phillip Association, formally founded in the June of 1835. This association was created to purchase large land areas from the aboriginal people and create a settlement there.John Batman explored the Yarra River in his ship Rebecca in June of 1835. He found a place where he thought, ’this will be the place for a village.’ This place was central Melbourne, located about 6 mi (9.6 km) inland.Batman had claimed that he had signed a treaty with the Kulin people, which made him the owner of several thousands of hectares of land in exchange for things like axes, food, and a yearly rent, among other things. This came to be known as Batman’s Treaty. It is said to have been signed on June 1835 at Merri creek.Governor Arthur Bourke of New South Wales declared Batman’s treaty invalid because, according to European law, the entire land of Australia was under the British crown.But, by that point, Batman had returned to Van Diemen’s Land and informed others of the land that he had found. People soon began to settle in Batmania. Batman and his family came to the land in April 1836 and settled at Batman’s hill. His son, John Charles Batman, was born here in 1837.John Batman: Role As A Farmer And BusinessMr. Batman began living as a farmer in Van Diemen’s Land. He successfully tendered for the contract of supplying meat to the government meat stores in George Town in 1823. He had acquired a grant of 202.34 ha (500 ac) of land near Ben Lomond.In the 1820s, Batman rose the ranks by capturing bushranger Matthew Brady. He was provided with an additional grant of land as a reward. He was also a participant in the Black War and the capturing of Tasmanian aborigines, where he hunted local aboriginal people with trover parties by employing the help of mainland aboriginal people.In 1827, he had applied for land grants in the Western port of Victoria but was denied. He then formed the Port Phillip Association with other settlers to buy land for settlement.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created many interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for ‘John Batman facts: life history of the founder of Melbourne disclosed,’ then why not take a look at ‘15 brilliant Babylon facts: its origin, trade, daily life and more’ or ‘paper pollution facts: how can we stop people from polluting?’
John Batman was an Australian farmer, explorer, and businessman, who was the first settler in Melbourne.
