[1] Melbourne was orphaned at the age of four and spent his formative years in a Middle Swan orphanage before being put into the care of various businessmen in York.
[1] As a teenager, he was an accomplished jockey and spent time in prison for petty crimes (including stealing, cashing a cheque, passing counterfeit coins, and escaping from a lock-up).
[1] Melbourne played his first game for West Perth against East Fremantle in the Western Australian Football Association on 2 June 1900 and was a member of their 1901 premiership side.
[5] In the later stages of his life he moved to Melbourne, Victoria, and joined the Australian Imperial Force at the outbreak of World War I.
[6][7] At this time he is recorded as being married or living with Mary Edith Melbourne, a former war nurse.