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 acknowledged and the reader is left to surmise that it is the writing of the Investigator’s first editor, Ian Wynd.
In this article taken from that first issue, the author takes us back to the late 1790s, only 10 years after the first settlement in New South Wales, at Port Jackson. The article explores the contributions made by George Bass, Lieutenant James Grant, Lieutenant John Murray and his first mate, John Bowen. It includes the first recorded contact with the Waddawurrung which, whilst initially harmonious, culminated in discord and violence.
Murray in the Lady Nelson
Any history of Geelong must begin with the story of Port Phillip Bay, the discovery of which had to wait on the voyage of Bass and Flinders through Bass Strait in 1798. In 1797 Bass had come close to discovering Port Philip when he voyaged along the south eastern coast of Australia in a whaleboat as far as Western Port where he spent 13 days. He was convinced that Van Dieman’s Land was an island, a theory his voyage with Flinders in the Norfolk proved correct.
The first vessel to make use of this new route to Sydney was the Lady Nelson, a ship specially commissioned to undertake exploration work in Australian waters. Under the command of Lieutenant James Grant, in 1800 she sailed through the Strait parallel to the Victorian coast but missed the entrance to Port Phillip, although the large area of water between Cape Otway and Cape Liptrap, leading into the Rip he named Governor King’s Bay.
In 1801 Grant return to the same waters, examined Western Port, and surveyed the coast as far as Wilson’s Promontory. Later in the same year, Lieutenant John Murray, now in command of the Lady Nelson, also returned to Western Port. From there he sailed north-west and on January 5, 1802, discovered Port Phillip, but because of the weather he was unable to enter. He then sailed towards Cape Otway, down to King Island and back to Western Port.
On February 1 he sent John Bowen, his mate, to find a channel into the newly discovered harbour. Three days later Bowen returned report that “a good channel was found into this new harbour … and it is a most noble sheet of water, larger even than Western Port, with many fine coves and entrances in it, and the appearance and probability of rivers.“
On February 14 1802, Murray entered the “spacious Harbour, its entrance … wide enough to work with any vessel in it.“ The following day he moved further up “this noble Harbour“ which “falls nothing short, in beauty and experience, of Greenwich Park.“ From here he saw and named Arthur’s Seat which he thought resembled a mountain of the same name near Edinburgh. What we now know as Mud Island Murray named Swan Isles because of the large number of swans and pelicans he found there. He also named Point Paterson and Point Palmer. The whole harbour he named Port King in honour of the governor of New South Wales, Philip Gidley king, who renamed it Port Phillip to commemorate the name of the first governor of the colony.
After a short exploration on land where Murray found that “the hills and valleys rise with inexpressible eligence (sic)“, he climbed a high hill from which he saw to the north-east a large sheet of water which he was inclined to think was either a harbour or a large river. He then moved further up the harbour and made their first contact with the aborigines. Mr. Bowen was sent ashore with four men; he dressed some of the score of men and boys in white shirts in exchange for native equipment: “a friendly intercourse took place with dancing on both sides“. However, on the following day when Bowen and his party were ashore eating with and giving gifts to some of the natives, they were attacked by others. They were forced to fire on their attackers to drive them off; several were wounded. Murray finished his account of the incident as follows: “thus did this treachery and unprovoked attack meet with its punishment.”
On February 18, a channel on the eastern side was discovered as well as a source of freshwater; four days later what we now know as a Swan Bay was discovered and named Swan Harbour. The next fortnight Murray spent searching for a suitable channel up harbour, and on March 5 he reported finding one in which a “vessel of any draft may be secure from all wins“. he also found “most excellent water as clear as crystal“ enough “to water the grand fleet of England“ at the spot marked on the map as Watering Place. On March 7 he explored Swan Harbour more thoroughly but found it to be exceedingly shallow. He spent the night on “a pleasant little island“ he named Maria Isle (Duck Island).
On March 8, Murray decided to take possession of the port formally: “at 8 o’clock in the morning the United Colours of the Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland were hoisted on board and on Point Paterson, and at 1 o’clock under a discharge of three volleys of small arms and artillery the port was taken possession of in the name of his sacred Majesty George the third of Great Britain and Ireland.“ This was the first newly discovered place in the British Empire where the Union Jack (which since 1800 represented the three kingdoms of England, Ireland and Scotland) was flown.
On March 11 due to failing supplies, Murray curtailed his exploration and headed back for Sydney. He had not explored a great deal of the new harbour but he had opened the way for others to follow.
