A USTRALASIA ILL USTRA TED. 



Originally a sandy waste, with a shallow mere in the centre, this popular ground 

 promises to become a powerful competitor for public favour with Flemington. By 

 judicious planting, and by the conversion of the mere into a lake, the natural attractions 

 of the place have been greatly enhanced. The course is popular with racing men and 

 jockeys because of the soft nature of the -soil, and on that account a preference is 

 shown for it where steeple-chases are concerned. 



Returning by way of the Tooronga, Malvern and Commercial Roads to the Albert 

 Park, a ridge is traversed, upon the slopes of which have been erected some of the 

 largest residences in the vicinity of Melbourne, commanding prospects combining the 

 architectural monuments of the city, the broacl expanse of the Bay, with the shipping in 

 the harbour and the distant mountain ranges ; with villas encircled by gardens and 

 shrubberies serving as a pretty foreground. 



At the western extremity of the Park, a broad thoroughfare named the Albert Road, 

 in honour of the Prince of Wales and his illustrious father, marks the commencement of 

 South Melbourne, the most populous, as well as the oldest of the suburbs, numbering, 

 as it does, over forty thousand five hundred inhabitants, a figure which exceeds that of 

 the population of Brisbane, Hobart, Dunedin or Wellington ; while the estimated value 

 of the ratable property within its boundaries exceeds three millions sterling. In the early 

 days of Melbourne it was a green eminence upon which was bestowed the name of 

 Emerald Hill on account of the freshness of its verdure; but this designation has been 

 recently changed for the one it now bears. Its sponsor, who still lives, has seen the 

 grassy slopes upon which Captain Lonsdale pastured his sheep transformed into a large 

 and prosperous suburb, crowned at its highest point by a town hall erected at a cost of 

 thirty thousand pounds, which occupies a site sufficiently 'detached to admit of its fine 

 proportions and handsome architecture being seen to the best advantage. 



Two large orphanages, administered by the Roman Catholic Society of St. Vincent 

 de Paul one for boys, the other for girls fulfil the beneficent objects to which the life 

 of that great philanthropist was devoted ; while an Academy of Music contains one of 

 the best concert halls to be met with in the vicinity of Melbourne. Branch establish- 

 ments of the leading banks and insurance companies of the colony attest the commercial 

 importance of the city, and its numerous places of worship provide accommodation for 

 the members of all denominations. A Chinese joss-house is one of the sights of the 

 place ; in structure and decoration, both externally and internally, it is thoroughly 

 Oriental, and offers a striking contrast to its surroundings. On the arrival of the new 

 year, according to the Chinese method of computation, it is the scene of ceremonials in 

 which a display of fire-works, and the discordant din of musical instruments, painful to 

 the ears of Western people, play an important part. 



Most of the streets in South Melbourne run at right angles to each other, and the 

 principal thoroughfares, which are as broad as those of the metropolis, are lined with 

 shops that compare favourably with those of the latter. In the centre of South Mel- 

 bourne are some handsome crescents filled with terraces and detached private residences, 

 enclosing two public gardens or recreation grounds which are admirably kept. In the 

 one is a bowling-green, with its kiosk-like pavilion, and in the other some fine tennis- 

 courts, the whole set in a frame-work of flowers and shrubs. A market-house of ample 



