The site of modern-day Docklands was originally swamp land that in the 1880s became a bustling dock area as part of the Port of Melbourne, with an extensive network of wharfs, heavy rail infrastructure and light industry.

[4] Known for its contemporary architecture, the suburb is home to a number of heritage buildings that have been retained for adaptive reuse, and is also the site of landmarks such as the Docklands Stadium, Southern Cross railway station and the Melbourne Star.

Although still incomplete, Docklands' developer-centric planning has split public opinion with some lamenting its lack of green open space,[5] pedestrian activity, transport links and culture.

The lake was populated by fauna including native black swans and wild ducks as well and earlier, with its connection to Hobsons Bay, such marine life as snapper and swordfish.

[11] The first plans to reclaim the swamp issue were presented on 5 May 1858 by engineer Alexander Kennedy Smith to the Philosophical Institute of Victoria and proposed a system of three canals and a road to Footscray.

Just across the creek (near the site of Costco) were Dudley Mansions, a notorious slum of half a dozen homes constructed from refuse which Frederick Oswald Barnett began photographing and actively campaigning against.

DJs and performers such as Paul van Dyk, Carl Cox, Jeff Mills, Frankie Knuckles, David Morales, Marshall Jefferson and BT headlined these events.

Work on the Bolte Bridge, designed by architects Denton Corker Marshall, for Transurban and constructed by Baulderstone Hornibrook, another architectural centrepiece took place from 1996 to 1999 and costing $75 million.

Moonee Ponds Creek would have been restored featuring a peninsula extending beyond the present Bolte Bridge adding a large park to the northern riverside frontage of the precinct.

The new plan called for much taller, more built up areas of towers along the north and south of the harbour and toward the Hoddle Grid (present sites of New Quay and Yarra's Edge and Batman's Hill).

More traditional avenues of street trees replaced irregular plantings, the ornamental ponds and floating walkways were removed in favour of long linear concrete promenades.

The Batman's Hill precinct was originally awarded to Grocon, which had plans for what would have been the world's tallest building rising 560 m, dubbed Grollo Tower and featuring a mix of office, apartment, hotel and retail.

In the late 1970s, the disused port area was first earmarked for urban renewal aimed at extending CBD beyond the Hoddle grid along the river past Spencer Street.

A small cluster of 1920s commercial buildings were cleared to construct the brutalist landmarks the blocky World Trade Center (1982) and semi-circular shaped Crowne Plaza Hotel (1988) along with a massive multi-storey carpark, Melbourne's largest at the time, aimed to attract motorist commuters.

637 Flinders (2022) by Cox Architecture is seven storey modern infill office building added to the provide street frontage to the shorter World Trade Centre tower.

The Batman's Hill precinct is an 100,000 square metre area bordered by the Yarra River to the south, Spencer Street to the east, Docklands Stadium to the north and Victoria Harbour to the west.

It is a mixed-use precinct including commercial and retail space, entertainment, hotels, residential sections, restaurants, cultural sites and educational institutions as well as the historic Rail Goods Shed No.

Completed buildings include: On 2 August 2007, it was reported that a $1.5 billion scheme had been earmarked for Collins Street by Middle Eastern investment company Sama Dubai, to be designed by architect Zaha Hadid and Melbourne firm Ashton Raggatt McDougall.

The ability for the structure to have both open and closed roof configurations has seen it host many sports events, including Australian Rules Football, soccer, cricket and rugby as well as concerts.

The existing 23 10 metre tall palms and gum trees were replaced by 230 Norfolk Island pines (for a more stronger windbreak effect), realigned tram tracks to the centre roadway and new separated bicycle paths added.

As a result, another $16 million redevelopment under a new Harbour Esplanade Masterplan was proposed to repair the degraded wharfs unsuitable for pedestrian activation and reinstate previously demolished sheds and introduce an avenue trees to the waterfront.

One of the first completed office buildings in the precinct was the colourful National Australia Bank (NAB) headquarters, located at 800 Bourke Street, which accommodates approximately 3,600 staff.

[33][34] The ground level podiums contain a commercial precinct with a variety of restaurants and cafes including Italian, Indian, Middle Eastern, Cantonese, Moroccan, Cambodian and Modern Australian cuisines.

In May 2017 Lord Mayor Robert Doyle and Planning Minister Richard Wynne visited The District Docklands to announce a $150 million redevelopment of the centre including an eight-screen Hoyts cinema, which opened in 2018, and a full-line Woolworths supermarket due mid-2019.

Significant heritage buildings include the No 2 Goods Shed (now a mixed use development),[40] former railway offices at 67 Spencer Street (now the Grand Hotel), The Mission to Seafarers building,[41] Victoria Dock and Central Pier,[42] Queens Warehouse (adaptively reused as a vintage car museum),[43] Docklands Park gantry crane and a small number of warehouses and container sheds.

[55] In 1999, Melbourne City Council Director of Projects criticised the disconnection of the precinct to the CBD, claiming that the lack of transport links, particularly pedestrian, meant Docklands was "seriously flawed".

[56] The problem was exacerbated in 2005, when the pedestrian link between Lonsdale Street and Docklands proposed in 2001[57] was cut from the final design of the Southern Cross Station development due to budget blowouts.

[61] Kim Dovey, professor of architecture and design at the University of Melbourne, added that Harbour Esplanade was "too big" and claimed that Docklands was "so badly done" that it required a "major rethink".

In 2022 the Victorian Liberal Party declared it as such, citing neglect and poor planning by successive governments causing an extreme lack of activity, especially due to the permanent closure of Central Pier in 2019.

By 2023 among the stark lack of activity was exacerbated by a trend of owner occupiers converting their residences to Airbnbs, Costco shutting its flagship store, several prominent businesses closing their doors, and the Walk of Stars being permanently relocated elsewhere.