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4.4 Fawkner's settlement of Glenelg....Major Mitchell's surprise..gold on the foot....or on the ground?

 

        After unloading our stocks of grains, seeds, fruit trees, ploughs and harrows and other assorted equipment, and stacking them along the river bank under Captain Lancey's direction. We set about building a substantial camp, and also started to forage around the area, to obtain food , and become familiar with the area. The falls were very important because above them were our best source of freshwater, without which we may not have been able to sustain the settlement.

        Mr. Fawkner had selected the name of Glenelg for the name of the settlement after Lord Glenelg who was the English Government's Minister for War and the Colonies.

We knew that we had a surprise for Mr. Fawkner when he arrived, because when Mr. Wedge was all friendly to us, he told us that a William Buckley, a convict that had escaped from the original Port Phillip Settlement of 1803, had been living with the natives for many years, and had made contact with his party camped at Indented Head.

        "Well Sam, here we are at last," Mr. Fawkner said that with a little sigh," this has taken a lot of effort, time and money to arrive here. I hope it's for the good."

The Enterprize had finally arrived with Mr. Fawkner and wife, the wife and children of Captain Lancey, and some servants.

        " It was good to call in again at the site of the original settlement. It was about thirty three years ago. We were only there for about four months before sailing on to Van Diemans land, but I relived a few memories, both good and bad."

        "Now please call Captain Lancey so that I and the other five adventurers can draw lots for the land Captain Lancey has sub divided into ten acre lots."

Mr. Fawkner's lot included the eastern side of Pleasant Hill and extended to the flat below.

 

Fawkner's cottage on the east side of Pleasant Hill Melbourne

The extra supplies, equipment, timber, bricks, cattle and horses were quickly unloaded. Mr. Fawkner's house was finished in about a month, and the other's had put up temporary wattle and daub buildings.

        A big problem arose. We thought that the many natives camping near us were starting to show signs of hostility towards us.

Mr. Henry Batman, who had preceded his brother John, in domiciling at Port Phillip with others and his seven New South Wales natives, who were faithful to him; had encouraged the natives from the Westernport, the Barrabool Hill tribe and the Goulburn tribe, to intermingle with us. We fed them biscuits and potatoes, gave them little presents, and they occasionally helped us. During our activities until the building was completed, our arms and women folk were kept aboard schooner for safety.

        The natives Baitbainger and Derrimart formed an association with Watkins, one of our men, and they tried to communicate to him that danger existed. We started to carry some of our arms about, and Mr. Fawkner called Bill Buckley to interpret, because of him spending thirty two years with natives he understood their ways and languages.

        Buckley said that the natives had agreed to murder us, and if he had his way he would have killed Derrimart for telling us. That shows that he was more favorable to the natives than white people! Mr. Fawkner enlisted the help of Mr. Henry Batman, who was over at Hobson's Bay, and who was inspecting the general area with a view to also settling there; to instruct Bill Buckley to insist the natives cross over and live on the other side of the river. This they finally did after many threatening gestures on both sides.

        About a month after Mr. Fawkner arrived, Mr. John Batman arrived at Hobson's Bay, with his family and others. They landed a big mob of sheep and cattle, and other supplies. It was time for me to re seek re- employment with the Henty Family. So with Mr. Fawkner's permission, I eventually joined a boat that was to return to Launcestonto  recommence.working for the Henty family.

        I was kept quite busy with the Henty stock movements across the Straight. I remember being busy one day in the yards at Portland Bay, when excited shouting and dogs barking alerted me that something unusual was happening.

A warning gun was fired twice from the vicinity of the homestead sheds. After a little time a gun was fired from the west, followed by the sound of a bugle.

        Horsemen suddenly appeared!.

 

 

Major Mitchell and some of his party arrive, with surprise, at the Henty's

        "Hello there!' shouted out the leader of a group of horsemen."I am surprised that this Squatters Run is in existence here." "Good day to you. What is your name and the name of this group?" sang out Mr. Henty."

        "My name is Major Thomas Mitchell, Surveyor General of the Colony. On the directions from the Governor, I have been exploring, and trying to establish which rivers run into the west. I must admit Governor Bourke will as surprised as I am."

        "My name is Frank Henty, my brother Edward is only a couple of miles away, with some men and cattle. For a little while I thought you could have been bushrangers, I was about to mount our swivel cannon in our house to fire on you."

With some of the crew from the schooner, that was anchored in the bay, and all of our men at the Run, Major Mitchell recalled some of his expedition exploits in front of a blazing fires.

        "After completing two previous expeditionary travels tracing rivers, Governor Bourke ordered me on this third expedition to explore where the River Darling ended, and if it joined the Murray as Captain Sturt had indicated earlier.

 

 

Mitchell's supply train.

        "I was to follow it to the sea. Hopefully I was to commence rowing down the Darling just past Menindee, where on the previous expedition lots of natives attacked us and we had to shoot quite a lot to prevent being killed. I am still being criticized for that episode"

 

The native massacre at Menindee?

        "Luckily the two boats and dray that we had used in the second expedition were still available. So with a party of twenty three men all convicts or ex convicts, with the exception of Mr. Staplyton my second in command, and droving one hundred sheep and five oxen for food, we set out."

 

The boat carriage.

        After a very long journey only just a few days ago we found a river and called it the Glenelg. We camped there, and with a party of sixteen we rowed to its mouth and back to the camp. I expected it to finish at Portland Bay, but that was not the case. It was to the west beyond Cape Northumberland and Bridgewater, and even Mt. Gambier." I was not present when the brothers and Major Mitchell discussed his work and plans. But what I did hear was that he thought the land to our north and north east would be marvelous for sheep and settlements. It was such good land that he called it Australia Felix. Together for a few days they travelled to Cape Nelson and Cape Bridgewater and assisted him in taking theodolite, and sextant bearings to mark items and features on maps.

        Soon it was time for Major Mitchell to return to the remainder of his party, hoping they would have had time to rest, and to make his way to Sydney mapping all the way. The Henty's set them off with a small amount of supplies. Including a small flock of sheep to eat.

        The upshot was that I was to travel with them, and assist them with the sheep and other stock. When the expedition reached Sydney, Major Mitchell was to arrange my getting back to Portland or Launceston or the Glenelg settlement.

        On the return journey, because the boat dray badly needed repairs, Major Mitchell decided that he, and some of his party would climb up to the top of the mountain that was prominent a lot of miles to the south eastward of us . He thought the mountain would have been noted by Mr. Hume and Mr. Hovell on their expedition to find Westernport.

        We spent two days on and around the mountain, which Major Mitchell named Mt. Macedon after an old Greek feller called Phillip of Macedon. From the mountain he drew sketches and took navigational bearings of the surrounding country including looking towards Port Phillip Bay.

        Through his telescope we thought we saw sails or tents on a large patch of blue that he said was Port Phillip.

        What to do, what to do? Should I attempt to walk to the Glenelg, settlement, or continue on to Sydney?

 

A Major Mitchell Cockatoo.

        Now that I am a little older, I can reflect on how quickly events happened in not much time at all when I arrived back at the Glenelg settlement. The name was changed to Bearbrass and then later still Melbourne.

        Boats and people seemed to be constantly arriving. Livestock discharged, little houses built on cleared land, more and more settlers arriving. Mr. Fawkner built a shop and a Hotel. He started a newspaper, by initially writing items by hand, until he could obtain a printing press.

An early view of Melbourne.

        A Captain William Lonsdale had arrived at the settlement on September 29th 1836, the day before Major Mitchell and party climbed Mt. Macedon. So maybe we saw the sails of his boat in Port Phillip Bay. I believe the news of his party finding the Henty's at Portland Bay arrived in Sydney via the Henty boat to Launceston and then on to Sydney, four weeks before Major Mitchell actually arrived back at Sydney.

        Captain Lonsdale was proclaimed the Chief Magistrate, and arranged a census count of the population. There were actually 364 people that lived in the Port Phillip district. That seemed so hard to believe that it could have happened so quickly

        Governor Bourke finally visited in March 1837 and declared the settlement an official place of residence. He renamed the settlement Melbourne after Lord Melbourne the English Prime Minister, and authorized Mr. Robert Hoddle's planned layout of the town.

        At the end of that year and overland mail service by coach and packhorse began between Melbourne and Sydney.

        Public land auctions were held.

 

A very early Land Auction.

        The town soon took over in importance to Launceston, because of its strategic placement in regards to Sydney, England, India, China, and the Americas.

        I now work for the Henty family at their wool store in Melbourne. It's only temporary, because I am awaiting Benjamin's arrival.

        Will we share our resources into going to the America's and look for gold, or will we start a small run in a Australia Felix?

 

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