Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. Melbourne was founded in 1835 (47 years after the European settlement of Australia) by settlers from Van Diemen's Land. It was named by governor Richard Bourke in 1837, in honour of William Lamb—the 2nd Viscount Melbourne. Melbourne was officially declared a city by Queen Victoria in 1847. In 1851, it became the capital city of the newly created colony ofVictoria. During theVictorian gold rush of the 1850s, it was transformed into one of the world's largest and wealthiest cities.