Melbourne as a Canal City

160 years ago, these submissions were made to a royal commission into westward expansion. Drawing on these low-lying areas, they imagined Melbourne as a canal city. A series of utopian representations reflected society’s view of itself and the future of the city. Highlighting the colonial mythology of the ordered vision of progressive urban Melbourne. Prepossessed with their European roots there was a brief move to master the waterways. Cutting them straight, and directing them for purpose.