BGM_From Batman’s Hill to Southern Cross

Long before it was a chaotic transit hub, Southern Cross Station was home to Batman’s Hill-the highest natural point near the Birrarung (Yarra River), where John Batman built his family home in the 1830s. From there, he had an uninterrupted view of Mount Macedon, a sight to symbolise the vast lands he and the other settlers claimed as their own. But this land had already been home to the Wurundjeri people for tens of thousands years. In this episode, we uncover the rise and fall of Batman’s Hill, its connection to the brutal massacres of the 1830s and 1840, and how it was ultimately flattened to make way for Melbourne’s ever expanding rail network. We’ll explore how this site transformed from a colonial outpost to its sprawling modern-day transport hub, we know it today as. Trigger Warning: This episode discusses the massacres of First Nations People in the 19th Century. Listeners discretion is advised. And stick around- because at the end, we’ll give you a teaser for our next episode on Flagstaff hill and Gardens, Melbournes first cemetery and an often-overlooked historical landmark.