The Story of Geelong
from its earliest times
The Geelong Historical Society is collating stories of Geelong and its origins: from the Wadawurrung times, from the first European contacts and through to subsequent early developments. We begin the stories with the earliest written accounts of the region, and intend to regularly build upon that base to include a variety of voices and perspectives.
The starting point for this collation is the first volume of the Investigator. Under the editorship of Ian Wynd, it published a regular series it called ‘The Story of Geelong’ and I have opted to use that name too. The writer of these small histories is unrecorded and I have credited the writing to the magazine and its editor. Included also are some articles published earlier on the website that focus on Lt Grant and later Matthew Flinders.
Readers, especially those from Aboriginal and Torres Strait communities, should be warned that the content may be culturally sensitive and that some of the language choices of the writers or authors may be inappropriate today and reflect the attitudes of the period when they were written.
A History of Geelong
Grant’s Secret Discovery
In this well researched and produced video, GHS member Harry Roberts, provides the viewer with the background and intrigue behind the secret discovery of Port Phillip in the early 1800s …
Flinders and Port 16
Port 16 … is this Matthew Flinder’s most important discovery? In 1802 when Matthew Flinders began his journey that resulted in the first circumnavigation of our continent he made one discovery that he prosaically labelled as Port 16. We know it better as Port Phillip. Following maps and guides provided by George Bass, Flinders at …
Murray in the Lady Nelson – Investigator Vol 1 No 1
The Story of Geelong. The first edition of Investigator, the Geelong Historical Society magazine, was published in September of 1965 and it included a series of articles it described as ‘the story of Geelong’. The aim was to chronicle the earliest European exploration of Port Phillip Bay and the greater Geelong area. No author is …
Flinders in the Investigator – Investigator Vol 1 No 2
Flinders in the Investigator. This article on Matthew Flinders was the second in a series called ‘The Story of Geelong’ and originally published in the first volume of the Geelong Historical Society’s magazine ‘Investigator’. It provides some context for and a brief snapshot and chronology of Matthew Flinders’ activities in Port Phillip during 1802. Of …
Grimes and Flemming – Investigator Vol 1 No 3
Grimes and Flemming – the Story of Geelong. In the May edition of 1966 the Investigator magazine continued its ‘Story of Geelong’ with the following account of the five week expedition to Port Phillip mounted by Charles Grimes and James Flemming in early 1803. Despatched from Sydney, Grimes’ party completed a thorough survey of Port …
1800sDavid CollinsIndented HeadLieutenant TuckeyPort PhillipSullivan BaySwan BayThe InvestigatorThe Story of GeelongWadawurrungWilliam Buckley
Collins and the Sullivan Bay Settlement – Investigator Vol 1 No 4
Listen to the article (10 minutes) David Collins and the Sullivan Bay Settlement In the fourth issue of Investigator magazine in 1966, the Story of Geelong featured an account of the ill-fated settlement at Sullivan Bay in 1803. The article focused on the survey work done by Lieutenant Tuckey as he explored Port Phillip Bay …
1820s GeelongHamilton HumePort PhillipThe InvestigatorThe Story of GeelongWadawurrungWilliam HovellYou Yangs
Hume and Hovell – Investigator Vol 1 No 5.
Hume and Hovell The fifth instalment of The Story of Geelong was published in the Investigator magazine during November 1966. It covers the overland exploration undertaken by Hume & Hovell during 1824 and it provides interesting detail on their journey and their interactions with the Wadawurrung, which included the names of important natural features such …
1830s GeelongBarwon HeadsIndented HeadJohn Helder WedgePort PhillipThe InvestigatorThe Story of GeelongTorquayWadawurrungWilliam Buckley
Wedge, Thomson and William Buckley – Investigator Vol 2 No 2
This is the seventh instalment of the Investigator’s series ‘The Story of Geelong’, published in May 1967. Using John Wedge’s journals and a subsequent map of his explorations the writer takes the reader along on that first recorded exploration of our region. Included amongst his party was William Buckley and some other Wadawurrung men, and …
Geelong’s Early Development: 1839-1841 – Investigator – Vol 3 No 1
Geelong 1839-1841: its early development. In the first issue of 1968 the Ian Wynd, the editor of the Investigator magazine, continued his ‘Story of Geelong’. His focus in the February edition was the early development of the township of Geelong between 1839 and 1841. He begins his account with the sale of the first lots …
1830s Geelong1840s Geelong1850s GeelongFoster FyansLettersThe Story of GeelongWadawurrungWilliam Buckley
Letters from Victorian Pioneers to Governor La Trobe, 1853: No 18
Foster Fyans (1790-1870) played a significant role in the European settlement of Victoria and the dispossession of its Aboriginal people. This article examines a letter he wrote in 1853 about his experiences at that time. Fyans joined the British Army. He served in Crimea, Spain and in India. In 1833 he was transferred to Sydney …
1854: A ‘Golden’ Year for Geelong
A Society transformed by GOLD! By Harry Roberts The year 1854, just three years after Victoria became an independent Colony, was one of growth. The gold rush brought prosperity to Melbourne and the rural towns of Bendigo and Ballarat. Geelong also benefited from the increased trade and travellers. It was the gateway to the goldfields …
1830s GeelongBarwon HeadsIndented HeadJ T GellibrandLatest NewsThe Story of GeelongWadawurrungWilliam Robertson
Mr J.T. Gellibrand’s Memoranda of a trip to Port Phillip in 1836.
The author of Memoranda of a trip to Port Phillip in 1836 was Joseph Tice Gellibrand, a former Attorney General in Van Diemen’s Land (VDL) and one of the 15 members of the Port Phillip Association. His association attempted to claim ownership of all the land around Port Phillip through “negotiations” with the Indigenous peoples …
1830s Geelong1850s Geelong1860s Geelong1870s Geelong1880s Geelong1890sBiographyColacLatest NewsWilliam Robertson
The Robertsons of Colac
You can listen to a reading of this article by clicking the link below: A reading of the article “The Robertsons of Colac”, May 2025 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 …
Letters from Pioneers to Governor La Trobe, 1853: No 6
David Fisher of Roslin, Geelong – 21 September 1853 David Fisher’s letter is a wide-ranging firsthand account of life in the Port Phillip District soon after first European settlement. It is included in the Letters from Victorian Pioneers collection. Fisher, a Scottish-born settler, arrived from Van Diemen’s Land in the earliest days of Port Phillip’s …
Letters from Pioneers to Governor La Trobe, 1853: No 50
Superintendent Charles Joseph La Trobe sent a circular letter to a number of early settlers in the Colony of Victoria, asking them to provide written accounts of their arrival and early activities in the district. He encouraged them to describe when and how they first occupied land, and to reflect—however selectively—on their interactions with the …