Historical information
The Batman Deed is sometimes called the Batman Treaty, the Dutigullar Deed, the Dutigullar Treaty or the Melbourne Deed. The deeds had been drafted by JT Gellibrand, a leading lawyer in the colony. Batman's Treaty was a document signed on 6 June 1835 by John Batman, an Australian grazier, businessman and explorer, and a group of Wurundjeri elders, for the purchase of land around Port Phillip, near the present site of the city of Melbourne.
Significance
The document came to be known as Batman's Treaty and is considered significant as it was the first and only documented time when Europeans negotiated their presence and occupation of Aboriginal lands directly with the traditional owners. The so-called treaty was implicitly declared void on 26 August 1835 by the Governor of New South Wales, Richard Bourke.
The original Batman Deed is of enormous significance to the history of the European settlement of Victoria.
Physical description
Framed print of the Batman Deed, dated 1835. This is a printed copy of the Batman Deed, made in 1966 from the 'original' by the State Library of Victoria. The frame is wood. The document consists of handwritten text in black ink with eight signatures in the lower right hand side and three signatures in the lower left hand corner. It has been signed by John Batman beneath the eight signatures.
