John Batman
John Batman (1801–1839) was an Australian grazier, entrepreneur and explorer who helped found Melbourne. Born in Parramatta, New South Wales, he learned blacksmithing and later moved to Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania) in the 1820s to become a grazier.
In Tasmania, Batman helped hunt bushrangers and participated in conflicts with Aboriginal people during the Black War. He also played a role in capturing a well-known bushranger, Matthew Brady, and received land grants as a result. Batman’s activities in Tasmania included sending Aboriginal workers to assist in “roving parties” against Tasmanian Aboriginal people.
In 1835 Batman led an expedition to Port Phillip with the Port Phillip Association to explore the area that would become Melbourne. He identified a site on the Yarra River as ideal for a new settlement and noted in his diary that it was “the place for a village.” He also negotiated a treaty with the local Kulin people, exchanging goods for land, though the government later said the land belonged to the Crown, not the Kulin.
Batman settled with his wife Elizabeth Callaghan and their children at Batman’s Hill in what became Melbourne. He built a house there in 1836, but his health declined due to syphilis, and he died in 1839 at age 38. He was buried in Old Melbourne Cemetery, later moved to Fawkner Cemetery, where an obelisk marks the site.
His legacy is mixed. Some view him as a founder of Melbourne, while others criticize his violence against Aboriginal people. In recent years, some places named after Batman have been renamed, and the Division of Batman was renamed in 2018.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 18:54 (CET).