1841 Building

As Melbourne's trade increased, a bluestone Customs House with a slate roof was completed on this site in 1841. It sat by the Turning Basin, a natural pool on the Yarra River that was the highest point to which ships could navigate up the river.

Convicts were used to row the customs officers out to ships moored in the bay. Although the settlement was not a penal colony, several hundred convicts worked as servants or on government duties.