The end of ‘Smellbourne’: The 125th anniversary Melbourne is marking today

Melbourne is today celebrating 125 years since the first flush of a toilet in the city.

In 1897, the All England Eleven Hotel in Port Melbourne became the first location in Melbourne with a flushable toilet.

Melbourne Water Managing Director, Nerina Di Lorenzo, says Melbourne had a serious sewage problem prior to that.

“In 1897, Melbourne was really booming but it had this really awkward problem of sewage in the rivers, and the creeks and the open drains, which gave us the name of Smellbourne,” she told 3AW Breakfast.

“It was very unhealthy.”

Press PLAY below to hear about Melbourne’s sewage history