Settlers of Inverleigh

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Harry and David Savage (date unknown)

Harry and David Savage are mentioned first because they must have been amongst the earliest settlers in the district. They probably squatted on the small piece of land where they built their brick kiln. just above the site of the town. Here they made bricks which were used throughout the district. A shed on Barwonleigh dating back to the 1840's was made from their bricks. while Lullote and stables (1855-56) was probably their biggest single project. Almost every old house in the district contains chimneys or sections built of Savage bricks.

Savage's Log - click to enlarge

Thomas Maher 1851

Thomas Maher arrived in Inverleigh sometime in 1851, and took general labouring jobs around the district. He helped to build an early house on Englewood from sun dried bricks. part of which still remained in 1971.

Charles Fuller 1851

Charles Fuller arrived in 1851, possibly on the same ship as Thomas Maher, and selected about 80 acres on the Hamilton Highway. half a mile from Inverleigh. He established the district's first orchard and later supplied the land for the town's second race. track.

Samuel Wilson and James Elliot (date unknown)

It is not known exactly when Wilson and Elliot reached Inverleigh, or when they began to rent Hope's Carrah Mill on the original track and ford leading to Winchelsea. The mill must have been built long before 1866, when that part of the road was cut out by the new Bell's Bridge. It was probably erected by 1850. Sam Wilson appears to have been the senior partner, and lived in the mill house near by until he left the district in 1869 after failing to make a profit. Elliot remained in the district until the 1890's when the mill closed down.

George Peel 1852

George Peel arrived on the Flora on 23rd Oct.1852 at Point Henry. He was a brick layer by trade, but soon adapted to stone masonry. He intended to settle in Geelong with his wife Harriet, but construction work in the town had ceased due to the gold rush. He left Harriet in a tent on Newtown Hill, and came to Inverleigh splitting posts. Every weekend he walked to Geelong to see his wife. In 1856, when land became available in Inverleigh, George Peel bought 10 acres and set about building Tower Hill. He also bought a horse and dray, the latter was made by wheel wright Costain. At first he grew vegetables for the gold fields, but as that petered out he bought more land, and some agricultural implements from the local blacksmith (McNaughton) and set about establishing a sheep property. In 1875 George Peel's two elder sons joined the stream of towns people heading for Kerang, known then as The Terricks, where the Government was releasing land at the rate of a pound per acre. Mary Peel soon joined her brothers, and there met and married James Dunhill. Two sons, Thomas and John were born there, but in 1878 Dunhill died of typhoid fever and Mary came home Thomas I and John both went to school in Inverleigh. Later Mary married again and the family I moved to Daylesford. Thomas Peel Dunhill was to figure in the discovery of a cure for goitre and later to become a royal 10 surgeon. Charles Herbert Peel, son of George Peel, lived all his life in his father's house, earning his living in the early days as Inverleigh's first baker. He died in 1964. His brother Frederick spent his life extending the Peel's farming domain and was a very prominent citizen of the district. George Peel died in 1897 aged 76 years. Harriet Peel died in 1918 aged 90 years. Charles Peel had a large family including Clifford, Tom, George, Charles Robert, Terrell, Arthur, Jean and Daisy. Clifford joined the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War and was killed over France. He left behind the seed of an idea which was to figure in Australia's history. Before he left he wrote to Flynn and suggested a radio operated air-medical service, (The Royal Flying Doctor's Service )for isolated areas of Australia.

John Nicholson

John Nicholson came out on the same ship as George Peel. He settled first at Strawberry Hill, a suburb of Geelong, and after working around the Inverleigh district, he took up land above the town. The selection right for this area was 80 acres per person.

Hugh Smyth 1852

Hugh Smyth also came out on the Flora and settled in Inverleigh for some years before moving to Geelong to operate a skin store. He maintained his connection with the district by purchasing skins and tallow from district farmers. His son John Hugh was only 12 when his father died. John returned to the district and married a Miss Nicholson. He is well remembered as a fine sportsman.

Jacob Johnstone 1853

Jacob Johnstone arrived in Portland with his bride in August 1852. They had been on the crowded ship for 17 weeks, and there had been 7 deaths at sea. They stayed a short time in Portland, and then came on to Geelong in search of work. Geelong was deserted, because of the gold rush. so they came and settled in Inverleigh on 10 acres of land (near the railway bridge).

David Hamilton 1853

David Hamilton, his wife, three sons, and three daughters left Perth shire for Australia in 1853. He worked for a short period in Barwon Heads before coming to Barunah Plains. Soon after that he bought a hundred acres near the present site of Leigh View, and leased part of the Woolbrook flats. He ran dairy cattle and grew wheat. Later he bought a hundred and eighty acres where the present homestead stands. In 1870 David, eldest son of the pioneer family, decided to move the four roomed house from the original site on the river (Struan Park) to a site on the hill above the present house. Using a large team of bullocks, he dragged the house to a site below the present house, where it became bogged. Jack Bath, a Barunah selector, added his bullock team and together they struggled it further up the hill where it bogged again, so they left it there. George, the second boy, left the district to go to the Terricks in 1875. The youngest boy had died soon after reaching Australia from injuries received on the ship.

Alexander McCallum 1853-54

Alex, his wife and four children arrived on The Sleep Sea after a four month voyage at the end of 1852. They took up a married couple's position on Mount Emu near Skipton. After 12 months they came to Inverleigh. Most of the settlers at this time were living in bark huts or tents, and the McCallums were no exception. There were probably four to five hundred people living in the district at the time. The men cut timber, settled on small farms or perhaps drove bullock wagons. Alex bought a team of bullocks with his earnings ( 12 Pounds) and carted freight to Mickey's Waterholes ( Stawell) for l00 Pounds a ton. The wagon carried three tons but the round trip took three months. The bullockies travelled in groups so that they could tow each other out of bogs. When they returned they camped on the reserve (where the present Roman Catholic church stands) and turned their bullocks out in the Leigh bush until another load was ready. The McCallums bought the Weatherboard from William Berthon.

William and Henry Berthon 1855

William and Henry were the sons of Benjamin De Crillion Berthon. a member of the firm of Berthon Bros. East India Merchants. Disaster struck Ben when he, lost several ships at sea. (Goods to the value of 280,000 Pounds were lost in a single year. De Berthon sold up and came to Hobart in 1830. He died in 1854 leaving his wife and nine children - Captain Charles Berthon, Major Henry Berthon, Major General John Berthon, Edward Berthon, Benjamin Berthon, William Berthon, Maria Berthon, Emma Berthon and Mary Berthon. Three of the boys made their careers with the British Army in India, while Edward, Benjamin and William became land holders in the colonies. In 1855 William bought the Weatherboard Station. In 1853 Henry retired from the British Army and in 1855 joined his brother in Inverleigh. He bought part of the Golf Hill run, named it Lullote, built a house and stables and settled down to retirement. Henry died in 1884. Mary married Sylverius Moriarty, Barrister at Law in 1844. Moriarty was a well known athlete in Tasmania. He died in 1848 as a result of a football accident. In 1854 Mary joined her brother Henry and helped to plan the building of his home. The stables were built. a year before the house (1855) and Henry and Mary had rooms built into them so that they could watch the construction of the house (1856.) By this time Duncan Savage must have been producing large numbers of bricks in his kilns near the town, for the large 2 story house was built of solid brick walls almost 2 feet thick. Mary was a lady of independent means and although she saw that the property was efficiently run she was not dependent on it. Amongst her gifts to the district were 1,200 Pounds to the Anglican Church as well as furnishings and the organ. For 40 years she gave an annual picnic to which the whole town was invited, supplying both food and prizes. The Geelong Advertiser 1912 described her as 'a lady of strong character.' At the time of her death on 2/9/1912 she was 92 years of age and had been a resident of the district for 58 years. Lullote was sold to the Phillips brothers in 1913.

John Bath 1853-54

The exact date of arrival is unknown, but it must have been about this time. John Bath bought a team of bullocks and worked on Barunah Plains as bullock driver. Later he took up 159 acres at the Barunah front gate. 

Donald McQueen 1854 

Donald McQueen came out during the early Victorian gold rushes (probably 1851 or 1852). He was an unsuccessful miner and settled in Inverleigh about 1854, and took up land adjoining Henry Berthon in 1855. Here he planted an orchard.

Duncan McNaughton 1854

Duncan McNaughton may have arrived on the same ship as George Peel, but did not come to Inverleigh until 1854. He set up a black smith's in the main street and in addition to shoeing the district's horses, he made much of the early farming equipment used by the settlers.

Henry Costain 1854-55

Henry Costain arrived about the same time as McNaughton. He was a black smith's wheelwright, and built everything from drays to coaches. Later he took over Duncan McNaughtan's forge.

Robert Wishart 1854-55

Robert Wishart was born 15.9.1823 in Scotland. He married in 1850 and had two children, but his wife died and so he remarried before leaving for Australia on the Stamboul. The children of his first marriage both died soon after reaching Australia. They were Alison (a boy) died 5-11-1857, and infant Jziathelia (Isobella) died 24-5-1855. Both are buried in the Inverleigh cemetery. At the age of 31 Robert began a new life in Australia. His son by his second marriage, David was born on the boat in July 1854. He was followed by Agnes- 1857, Janet -1859, Alexander - 1861, and Mary Ann -1863. Robert worked at his trade as a stone mason for a time before taking up land and becoming a grazier. He built the Presbyterian school, a house (until recently owned by W. Read) a wine press at the Hermitage (The Amiet's vineyard at Murgheboluc), as well as his own house Creek Terrace.

William Witcombe 1851-1856

William Witcombe was born in Somerset England in 1828. He arrived in Australia during the Ballarat Gold Rush between 1851 and 1856. He operated a bullock wagon carrying supplies between Melbourne and Ballarat. For a time he could command high prices ( 100 Pounds a ton) for his services, but as gold became harder to get, loads became harder to obtain, so William sold his bullocks and came to Inverleigh. On 19th August, 1859 he purchased 181 acres at one Pound an acre at a land sale in Geelong. It was named Barwon Falls. In addition he rented 220 acres from Gilbert Meredith. On 9-1-1861, William, aged 33 married an Irish girl, Mary Lynch, aged 21 at St. Marys Geelong. There were six children, John (died as a small boy) Mary, Eli Thomas (died 1882 aged 17 of appendicitis) Rose, twins Frederick and George William died after falling from a load of hay on 17-12-1890 aged 62.

James Venters 1859

James Venters was born in Scotland in 1827. In 1852 he went to Maryland America. He returned to Scotland when his father died, but later decided to migrate to Australia, and arrived in Melbourne on the Black Eagle on 19-10-1854. The Ritchies of Murgheboluc were on the same ship. First of all he tried his luck at the gold fields, but when that proved unseccessful he worked at Lime Burner's Point. In 1857 he married Helen Ritchie and took up land overlooking the Barwon River, at Native Creek in 1859, and named it Windemeer. The house was built by James Boyce in 1866. It consisted of 4 stone rooms and a detached kitchen. James Venters developed a fine dairy industry on Windemeer. The cream and butter had to be carted to Geelong by dray, and it was not always possible to transport it before it spoiled, James overcame this difficulty by digging deep holes in the top of the river bank and roofing them with natural stone, thus forming man made caves. In these he matured cheeses, set cream and wade his butter. He died in 1906 aged 79 years, leaving 7 sons and 4 daughters.

Mary Reddie 1861

Arriving in Geelong with a horse and dray are among the experiences of Mrs Robertson (Mary Reddie) a very old resident of the Inverleigh district who died in the early part of 1934 (Ref. Early Days on The Plains - Geelong Advertiser) Mrs Robertson came from Glasgow at the end of 1861 on the Marco Polo and spent her 13th birthday on board. They landed in Melbourne and brought their horse and dray to Geelong by boat and journeyed through Inverleigh to Weering where they settled. There were no made roads in the district at this time, and Mrs Robertson recalls many difficult trips including crossing flooded creeks in a buggy and walking into Inverleigh from Hesse (where she lived with her husband) through water knee deep.