The Robertsons of Colac
Ambition and Inheritance: The Making of the Robertson Legacy
In January 1836, William Robertson — a Hobart businessman and farmer — crossed Bass Strait to inspect the land provisionally allocated to him as an investor in the newly formed Port Phillip Association. Having arrived in Van Diemen’s Land in 1822, Robertson had already found success in both farming and commerce. Now, his sights were set on the mainland.
A few months earlier, John Helder Wedge had mapped the Port Phillip District, assigning Robertson “Run 16” — most of the Bellarine Peninsula. The journey that followed, in the summer of 1836, took Robertson, Joseph Tice Gellibrand, and William Buckley from Fawkner’s settlement beside the Yarra, across the Werribee Plains, through Geelong, and over the Bellarine Peninsula to the Port Phillip Association camp at Indented Head. This article traces that journey and the broader arc of Robertson’s life — a story not of simple pioneering, but of ambition, conflict, privilege and legacy.
Voices from the past … stories for today
Stories of Geelong brings the region’s history to life through narrated articles from the Geelong Historical Society’s archives. Each episode features a reading of a published piece; illuminating the people, places, and events that shaped our community. Whether you’re a local, a researcher, or simply curious, these stories offer a window into Geelong’s past, told in the voices of today.