Surveyor's chain owned by Robert Hoddle, H16888

Robert Hoddle (1794–1881) travelled with Governor Sir Richard Bourke to Port Phillip in March 1837. On 4 March, Hoddle and Bourke explored the area, tracing the township's general outline. Hoddle employed a grid, a standard plan for colonial townships, using instruments including a theodolite and the surveyor's chain. Consisting of 100 links measuring 22 yards, or a little over 20 metres, a chain is a standard unit of measure that is still in use in some countries.