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beautiful Corio and its lovely bay. in imagination we could picture a splendid city, with the bay
covered with ships of ail nations, which fancies I have lived to see in part realized.
'Having taken our bearings, we descended to where we left our horses, and there we encamped
for the night, and next morning started across the country and made the River Leigh at its
junction with the Barwon, where I afterwards formed my home-station. We then followed up
the Leigh River for about six miles, to the place where Mr Russell's station now is; here we
crossed the country in a direct line towards the Anakie Hills until we came to the Moorabool
River, where we halted for the night, in the morning we ascended the highest of these hills, from
which we had a most magnificent view of nearly all the hills, valleys, creeks, and rivers
comprised within that portion of the country, now the County of Grant. Next morning we
started for Doutta Galla (Melbourne), intending to return to Van Diemen's Land; but finding that
our ship had sailed we had to content ourseives until her return...
'Being now satisfied that sheep farming would prove a profitable speculation in the New Land,
as Port Phillip was then called in Van Diemen's Land, we entered into a co-partnership to carry
it out extensively. In this we were joined by Messrs Swanston, Mercer, and Learmonth, and
purchased up the shares and interest of the Van Diemen's Land Association. We took the style
and title of the "Derwent Company."
'In the latter end of the year 1836 i returned to Port Phillip for the purpose of forming the
different stations, afterwards occupied by the Derwent Co, and pitched my tent at the south side
of Geelong, on the north bank of the Barwon River, near where a bridge was built
communicating with the Western District. Here I built the first house in Geelong worthy of the
name. It is built of weatherboards of Van Diemen's Land timber, which house yet stands, and is
still rather an ornament to what is now called Barwon Terrace. In this house I had the honour of
receiving His Excellency Sir Richard Bourke, who had come hither to spy out the nakedness of
the land, and with his suite encamped on the banks of the Barwon next to my house. It is worthy
of remark that on the night of Sir Richard Bourke's arrival the district wa$ visited by an
earthquake, the shock of which was felt all over the district. Such a phenomenon has never
occurred
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since that time, but I was informed by a very old native, King Murradock, that such had been
felt before, but it was "long, long ago."
'In the month of September (1837), having finished my house and got all things comfortable for
the reception of my family, I proceeded to Van Diemen's Land to bring them over, taking my
passage by the James Watt, the first steam vessel that visited these shores, in the month of
March following (1838)! returned with my family, and having got them settled at Barwon
Terrace, I procesded to inspect the stations already formed.'
In 1838, Fred Champion, who ran one of the wooden storehouses by the beach, began
shipping wool to Van Diemen's Land, and the Woolpack Inn was built on the low cliff above
the beach, soon to become widely known as Mack's Hotel (JG Mack being the proprietor).
Meanwhile, Captain Foster Fyans, aged 46, late of the 4th (King's Own) Regiment, with whom
he had served on Norfolk Island, and ex-Commandant of the Moreton Bay penal settlement,
had been appointed Police Magistrate, Protector of Aborigines, Commissioner of Crown
Islands and dispenser of depasturising licenses in September 1837. He was asked by Sir
Richard Bourke to choose a site for the town that would be the supply and administrative centre
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