John Batman

Charles Nuttall, John Batman, c. 1912, charcoal and pencil on white paper, State Library Victoria. Gift of Mrs Iris Weire, 1991.

John Batman was born in Parramatta on 21 January 1801. His father, William Batman, had been transported to New South Wales for receiving stolen goods. No authentic contemporary portrait of John Batman is known today. In 1882 the Illustrated Australian news published a portrait of Batman 'from a likeness supplied by his grandson', Austin Batman Weire. Either Charles Nuttall had direct access to this 'likeness' or he was working from that illustration (the 'old print' referred to on the portrait). In either case, his drawing has the character of a generic illustration, rather than an accurate portrait of a specific individual.

John Batman’s diary

John Batman, Journal 10 May – 11 June 1835, manuscript, State Library Victoria

Batman’s journal describes his expedition from Launceston to Port Phillip in the schooner Rebecca, and includes his famous declaration, made on 8 June 1835, that 'this will be the place for a village'. His diary also details his meetings with Aboriginal people and the signing of the deeds that established a land use agreement between the Indigenous Elders and the Port Phillip Association. The names John Batman and John Pascoe Fawkner often appear side by side in Melbourne’s history, though the two were bitter rivals and both believed they were the rightful founder of Melbourne. Supporters on each side still argue the point.

The Batman deed, Melbourne

John Batman, The Batman deed, Melbourne, 1835 June 6, State Library Victoria

Also called Batman's Melbourne deed or Melbourne treaty, the Batman deed recorded the purchase of land for the Port Phillip Association, and was executed in triplicate. The first copy of the deed was drawn up by John Batman and William Todd on 6 June 1835; the second and third copies were drawn up by William Todd on 7 June. This copy is understood to be the third copy, retained by Batman himself. The deed describes a tract of country 40 miles in length, or 500,000 acres, covering land in the Melbourne area and along the western arm of Port Phillip Bay, including Geelong, the purchase of which was negotiated under a separate treaty. The land was purchased for a quantity of blankets, tomahawks, knives, scissors, looking glasses, handkerchiefs, flour and shirts, with an additional yearly rent or tribute of similar goods.

The Batman deed, Geelong

John Batman, The Batman deed (Geelong), 1835, State Library Victoria

Batman's Geelong deed, or the Geelong treaty, was executed in triplicate, with the first copy drawn up by John Batman and William Todd on 6 June 1835. The second and third copies of the deed were drawn up by William Todd on 7 June. This copy is understood to be the third copy, retained by Batman himself. The deed describes a tract of country of 100,000 acres, skirting Geelong to the south as far as the south coast of Victoria and including the Bellarine Peninsula, then known as Indented Head. The purchase was negotiated for a quantity of blankets, knives, tomahawks, looking glasses, scissors, handkerchiefs, clothing, and flour, with an additional yearly rent or tribute of similar goods.

Port Phillip Association foundation documents

Port Phillip Association, Documents 1835 Jun. 6 – Jun. 30, State Library Victoria

Based in Van Diemen's Land, the Port Phillip Association was formalised in June 1835 to settle the land acquired by the Batman treaty. An agreement concerning the Melbourne and Geelong purchases was drawn up between Batman and other association members including lawyer and former attorney-general Joseph Bannister, police magistrate James Simpson, banker Charles Swanston, surveyor John Helder Wedge and Henry Arthur, nephew of the Van Diemen’s Land Lieutenant-Governor, George Arthur. As Batman had privately purchased the land for the Port Phillip Association, and not the Crown, the agreement gave Scotsman George Mercer authority to negotiate with the British Government with a view to validating the deeds' terms, which were indeed deemed unlawful by Governor Bourke back in Sydney. The rules and regulations for the conduct of a colonial settlement were also outlined in the documents.

Port Phillip Association indenture

Port Phillip Association, Documents 1835 Jun. 6 – Jun. 30, State Library Victoria

An indenture of 30 June 1835 was drawn up between Batman, Swanston, Simpson and Gellibrand to make provision in the event of the illness or death of Batman before the proper conveyance of the land relating to the Port Phillip Association agreement. The provision outlined that Batman would convey land to his associates on trust for the Port Phillip Association, subject to the payment of an annual tribute to the Aboriginal chiefs.

John Pascoe Fawkner

Yours truly John Pascoe Fawkner, c. 1868, lithograph, State Library Victoria

John Pascoe Fawkner was born in England in 1792. He arrived in Australia at the age of 11, accompanying his father who was sentenced to 14 years' transportation for receiving stolen goods. Travelling on the Calcutta, they sailed to the initial Port Phillip settlement at Sullivan Bay, near modern-day Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula. Due to harsh weather and poor water, the group left Port Phillip after only a few months and founded a new settlement in Van Diemen’s Land. In the 1830s, Fawkner set his sights on acquiring the rich grazing lands that lay over Bass Strait on the mainland. His ship, the Enterprize, arrived in Port Phillip in August 1835 but, due to outstanding debts, Fawkner didn’t arrive until 16 October 1835. As the colony grew and prospered, he wasted no time in establishing Melbourne's first pub, hotel and newspaper. In 1851, Fawkner became one of Victoria's first Members of Parliament.

William Buckley

William Buckley, c. 1890–1910, oil on canvas, State Library Victoria

Like John Pascoe Fawkner, convict William Buckley travelled to the Sorrento colony on board the Calcutta. He escaped from the ill-fated settlement in 1803, and lived with the Wathaurong people until 1835, when he walked into John Batman’s camp. Buckley became an important translator in negotiations with the local Indigenous tribesmen. This painting is after a lithograph by Ludwig Becker, drawn for the frontispiece to an 1852 version of Buckley's story as narrated to John Morgan. Buckley’s extraordinary story of survival is remembered today in the classic Australian saying 'Buckley's chance'.

William Buckley's pardon

William Buckley, Papers 1835–1836, State Library Victoria

Fourteen pages document the granting of a free pardon to William Buckley, who had escaped from the convict settlement at Sorrento in 1803. The documentation includes an 1835 petition by William Buckley to Colonel George Arthur, Lieutenant-Governor of Van Diemen's Land. There are also letters by John Helder Wedge to the Colonial Secretary's Office in Van Diemen's Land and to John Montagu, Colonial Secretary in Van Diemen's Land. The final document is a Memorandum, dated 1 September 1836, by Lieutenant-Governor Arthur.

Reminiscences of William Buckley

William Buckley, Reminiscences of James Buckley who lived for thirty years among the Wallawarro or Watourong tribes at Geelong Port Phillip, communicated by him to George Langhorne, 1837, State Library Victoria

This manuscript describes Buckley's early life as a soldier and his conviction for theft, his subsequent transportation to the new colony at Sullivan Bay in 1803, and his escape with two other convicts just before the settlement removed to Van Diemen's Land. It details Buckley’s close relationship with the Aboriginal people, particularly in the Barwon River region, including descriptions of their diet, hunting and gathering methods, marriage and funeral customs, weapons and warfare, and spiritual beliefs. The reminiscences were recorded by George Langhorne (1810–97), a missionary who arrived in Melbourne in January 1837. Langhorne incorrectly gives the name as James Buckley.

Edward Henty

Batchelder & Co, The Hon Edward Henty Esq MLC, c. 1870, State Library Victoria

The Henty family were the first Europeans to settle within the Port Phillip district, in what is now Victoria’s Western District. After initially surveying the mainland coast, Edward Henty set sail from Launceston, arriving at Portland Bay on 19 November 1834. Edward’s brothers Francis, Stephen and Thomas followed, transferring the family’s livestock from Van Diemen’s Land, developing a settlement and establishing whaling and farming in the district. As well as being Victoria’s first permanent settler, Edward Henty was also the founder of the new colony’s thriving wool industry.

Plan of the Port Phillip District

John Helder Wedge, Plan of the Port Phillip District, 1835, State Library Victoria

This map shows the proposed partition of 600,000 acres of land among members of the Port Phillip Association, as a consequence of the Batman deeds. The mapmaker, John Helder Wedge, was born in England in 1793 and trained as a surveyor with his father. Wedge immigrated to Van Diemen's Land with his brother Edward in 1824, and in 1835 he explored and surveyed the land claimed by the Port Phillip Association. Wedge gave the Yarra River its name, and played an important part in the founding of Melbourne.

Melbourne Advertiser

John Pascoe Fawkner, Melbourne Advertiser, 1838, State Library of Victoria

The Melbourne Advertiser was Melbourne’s first newspaper, published by John Pascoe Fawkner. The first issue was displayed in Fawkner’s Shakespeare Hotel, on the corner of Collins and Market Streets. The newspaper’s first 10 issues were handwritten, before Fawkner acquired printing equipment. A further 17 issues were printed before the publication was ceased by law, as the newspaper was not registered. Images and transcripts of the first 16 issues are available through the State Library.