William Hartley Budd

The William BUDD who swore an affidavit that Sarah SMITH aka ’Pretty Sally’ [see separate article] had no next of kin in the Port Phillip District when she died in Melbourne in 1851, had a very interesting story of his own to tell.  William BUDD was a...

The Melbourne Riot of 1843

The year 1843 saw the first election of non-appointed members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly. Port Phillip was to have six members of whom one was to represent the Town of Melbourne. There were two candidates, namely Edward CURR, a former member of...

William Lockhart Morton

According to the Australian Dictionary of Biography, William Lockhart MORTON commonly known as W. Lockhart MORTON (1820-98), pastoralist, explorer and inventor, was born in Lanarkshire, Scotland, immigrated to Port Phillip in August 1841 and...

A Not So Merry Christmas

Did you know that Christmas Hills in the Port Phillip District, now Victoria, owes its name to an emancipated convict and shepherd, called David CHRISTMAS? The exact date and whereabouts of his death are unknown but in 1992 a roadside plaque to the shepherd who...