Footscray, Victoria

Footscray Melbourne, Victoria
Paisley Street in central Footscray
Footscray Location in metropolitan Melbourne
Coordinates	37°47′53″S 144°53′56″E / 37.798°S 144.899°E / -37.798; 144.899Coordinates: 37°47′53″S 144°53′56″E / 37.798°S 144.899°E / -37.798; 144.899
Population	15,259 (2013)
• Density	3,050/km2 (7,900/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	3011
Area	5 km2 (1.9 sq mi)
Location	5 km (3 mi) from Melbourne
LGA(s)	City of Maribyrnong
State electorate(s)	Footscray
Federal Division(s)	Gellibrand
Suburbs around Footscray: Maidstone Maribyrnong Flemington Footscray West Footscray West Melbourne Kingsville Seddon Yarraville

Footscray is an inner-western suburb (neighbourhood) of Melbourne, Australia, 5 km from Melbourne's Central Business District. Its local government area is the City of Maribyrnong. At the 2011 Census, Footscray had a population of 13,203.

Footscray is characterised by a very diverse, multicultural central shopping area, which reflects the successive waves of immigration experienced by Melbourne, and by Footscray in particular. Once a centre for Greek, Italian and former Yugoslavian migrants, it later became a hub for Vietnamese and East African immigrants in Melbourne, but has recently begun to undergo gentrification.

Footscray is named after Foots Cray, on the River Cray in London, England.

Footscray is part of the City of Maribyrnong and was built largely on the traditional lands of the Kulin nation.

For thousands of years, Footscray was the meeting place of the lands of the Yalukit-willan, the Marin-balluk and the Wurundjeri. Koories stalked game, collected food and fished along the river junction, estuaries, swamps and lagoons. Within Melbourne's western region, the Marin-balug and Kurung-jand-balug clans of the Woiwurrung cultural group, and the Yalukit willam clan of the Boonwurrung cultural group shared the luscious resources around the Maribyrnong Valley.

The first European to visit the area was Charles Grimes in 1803. A park, where he landed, is named after him at Napier St.

In 1839 a punt was built on the Maribyrnong River, it was the only connecting link between Melbourne and Geelong, Ballarat, Castlemaine and Bendigo. The Punt Hotel opened three years later and was the first building in the area. During the first decade drovers transporting cattle and sheep provided the only business at the hotel. After 1851, when gold was discovered out west, the pub did a roaring trade with diggers. Part of the old pub still stands and it has been renamed The Pioneer. (Ref: Charlie Lovett's Footscray)