 European settlement in Sydney began in 1788, and in 1800 Sydney had around 3,000 non-indigenous inhabitants.It took time for the city's population to grow–in 1851 its population was only 39,000, compared with 77,000 in Melbourne.The subsequent gold rushes in Victoria caused the population of Melbourne to increase rapidly, while the lesser gold rushes in New South Wales had a less profound effect on the population of Sydney.