Wando Vale Squatters & Selectors, 1838+, S-W Victoria, Australia

We are indebted to Terence Peate Davidson (1907-1990) a local farmer and historian who became very interested in the history of the Wando Vale area and produced a book to celebrate 150 years of settlement and 90 years of Closer Settlement at Wando Vale in 1990 named "A History of Wando Vale and Wando Bridge". Some of the basic details on early settlers have been extracted from this book.

Link to: Map showing Pastoral Runs around Casterton

Updated : 13 July 2021

1840 - John George ROBERTSON (1803-1862) took up the "Wando Vale" Pastoral Run in March 1840 when he came over to Portland Bay from Van Diemen's Land with Dr. Isaac CORNEY and John Frederick CORNEY. Before coming to Australia, John ROBERTSON been a botonist and naturalist with an Indian expedition for two years and for seven of the nine years he spent in Van Diemen's Land he managed Formosa Farm for Mr. R. W. LAWRENCE, the botonist. Later he sent from Victoria, dried plants to the herbarium at Kew (England), and before returning to Scotland, where he died in 1862, William MOODIE helped him pack 4000 botanical specimens which he had collected for Kew. He was constantly in correspondence with other botanists and his name is commemorated by "Ranunculus Robertsoni Benth" and "Calochilus Robertsoni Benth". Stephan Rowan ROBERTSON, sister of John George ROBERTSON who married William CORNEY in 1846, and Mary, who in 1850 married her cousin, George ROBERTSON of "Warrock", Casterton, came from England to Van Diemen's Land in 1840 where they started a millenary business. The sisters came to "Wando Vale" in 1853. Another sister Charlotte ROBERTSON had married John MOODIE in Scotland and they purchased "Wando Dale" Pastoral Run in 1853. John George ROBERTSON married Mary McCONOCHIE from Coleraine but they did not have children.

1840 - CORNEY Brothers [Dr. Isaac, William & John Frederick CORNEY] Dr Isaac & John Frederick CORNEY took up the "Cashmere" Pastoral Run in March 1840 when they came over to Portland Bay from Van Diemen's land with John George ROBERTSON. William CORNEY took up the "Wando" Pastoral Run in Oct 1840 and married John George ROBERTSON's sister, Stephan Rowan ROBERTSON in 1846.

1840 - Thomas BILSTON (1807-1899) Thomas BILSTON settled at Chetwynd to the north of Wando Vale in 1840 and in 1848 applied for the lease of "Steep Bank Rivulet" station, north of Wando Vale and many family members have had connections with the Wando Vale area over a long period of time.

1840 - Thomas William McCULLOCH c.1818-1892, b. Scotland; arrived Port Phillip 1838; Squatter "The Hummocks" (later "Retreat" on the Glenelg & Wando rivers), Port Phillip 1840-'46; d. Bendigo, Victoria, ; m. 1842 Launceston (VDL) to Ann McDONALD c.1817-1888, b. Isle of Coll, Scotland, daughter of Roderick McDONALD and Ann McLEAN; d. Bendigo, Victoria. A son was born at "The Hummocks" on the Glenelg, Port Phillip in 1844.

1842 - WATSON Brothers [James WATSON c. 1816-1877, Thomas Wentworth WATSON c.1817-1879 & William Wedderburn WATSON 1827-1876], occupied "Satimer" Pastoral Run Oct. 1842 to Feb. 1848. Lease transferred in 1848/9 to Alexander DAVIDSDON & his brother-in-law Duncan ROBERTSON. After disposing of "Satimer" the WATSON brothers then occupied "Wando" station for a short time before moving to "Cape Nelson" station, Bridgewater, near Portland, S-W Vic.

1843 - Duncan ROBERTSON (1799-1882) who died at Balmoral in 1882 was a brother of the William & John ROBERSTON who owned Wando Vale Station. Duncan acquired "Satimer" Pastoral Run with his brother-in-law Alexander DAVIDSON 181--1874 from 1843-1860 and Gringegalgona from 1862.

[Looking for additional information on this family].

1844 - David POWER c.1814-1884, b. Ireland to David POWER and Bridget HIGGINS; arrived Port Phillip in 1840; squatter of "Wando Dale" 1844-1852; "Mount Gambier" 1851-1859, "Limestone Ridge" 1859-61 and other station properties; d. Adelaide, South Australia (of Melbourne, Vic.); m. 1851 at Gawler, South Australia to Anne PILE 1824-1901, b. Lanarkshire, Scotland to James PILE and Isabella McCAUSLIN; d. Melbourne, Victoria. 10 children.

1848 - Alexander DAVIDSON (1801-1874) b. Inverness-shire, Scotland, son of John DAVIDSON and Ann FRASER. He arrived at Sydney, New South Wales in 1838 with his wife Ann ROBERTSON. He owned Satimer Pastoral Run with his brother-in-law Duncan ROBERSTON 1848-1860 and alone 1860-1875. He had a sister Margaret DAVIDSON, married to Andrew McDONALD and they were the parents of Ann McDONALD, wife of Angus McEACHERN of Kangaroo Station near Digby. Alexander DAVIDSON was married to Ann ROBERTSON, a sister of Duncan ROBERTSON and they did not have any children.

Alexander DAVIDSON purchased land in Portland in the 1850s and constructed the impressive house "Wando Villa" in Edgar Street ca 1863. "Wando Villa" remained in the DAVIDSON family until 1900 when it was purchased by Janet ROBERTSON, widow of Angus ROBERTSON 1795-1879, the eldest brother of the ROBERTSON brothers mentioned above.

[Looking for additional information on this family].

1849 - Samuel Proudfoot HAWKINS 1820-1867, b. Scotland to Robert HAWKINS and Penelope CARRUTHERS; d. "Melville Forest" Station, E of Coleraine; m. Jane "Jeanie" HUTCHESON 1824-1864, b. Scotland to David HUTCHESON and Isabella TAYLOR; d. Portland, Victoria. Samuel HAWKINS, squatter, held a number of Pastoral runs, including "Pollock" (near Colac 1845), "Cashmere" (on the Wando 1849-'51), "Springbank" (on the Glenelg 1852-'54), "Wando" (N of Wando Vale 1855-'59), "Wilderness" (E of Coleraine 1858-'64) and "Melville Forest" (E of Coleraine 1858-'77).

1850 - John MOODIE (1809-1869) from Glasgow, Scotland arrived overland from Geelong, Port Phillip at "Wando Vale" Station in May 1850 with his wife (Charlotte ROBERSTON 1815-1904, sister of John George ROBERTSON 1803-1862 of "Wando Vale" Station) and children. John MOODIE purchased "Wando Dale" Station in 1853. One son William MOODIE (1840-1914) whose published memoirs go under the title of "William MOODIE A Pioneer of Western Victoria" left an interesting record of this period.

1850's - Stephen George HENTY 1811-1872 & William LEARMONTH 1815-1889 held the "Wando" Pastoral Run for a short while.

1852 - George SMITH (1829-1894) and his wife Melinda ANDREWS (1829-1891) arrived at Portland from England on the 'Priam' in 1852 and came to work for William CORNEY at 'Wando' Station where there second child Georgina was born in 1853. The family had moved to Ballarat by 1855.

1854 - John DOUGHENEY (1815-1894) from Kilkenny, Ireland took over the "Wando" Pastoral Run from March 1854 to July 1855. One of his sons James DOUGHENEY, age 13, died at Wando Vale in 1854 and was buried on the Station.

1854 - William ROBERTSON 1811-1864 & John ROBERTSON 1808-1880 - purchased Wando Vale Station from John George ROBERTSON in May 1854 and held it until May 1867. The brothers, William & John ROBERTSON were apparently not related to John George ROBERTSON and had come from "ROBERTSON's Station" near Navarre, holding that run from February 1845 to March 1848. They next held "Kinkell" near Dartmoor and "Woodford" also in the Dartmoor districy., holding thise runs from May 1853 to to August 1866. They held "Ellengowan" near Narrawong from November 1849 to February 1852, "Struan" on the Wannon, north-east of Merino from January 1841 to April 1867. William ROBERTSON had six children, five sons and one daughter, the youngest being twin sons. The big stone stables at Wando Vale were built by William ROBERTSON in 1863. Adam Lindsay GORDON was a frequent visitor to Wando Vale, both being great lovers of horses. John ROBERTSON established himself at "Straun" station on the Mosquito Creek, near Naracaoorte where he built the magificent residence "Struan House" in 1875.

1855 - William HOPKINS b. c.1826 London, England to George Francis HOPKINS and Sophia REA, was married in 1855 at the Parsonage on the Wannon (Coleraine-Merino), S-W Victoria, to Anne McLACHLAN b. c.1828 Argyllshire, Scotland to Lachlan McLACHLAN and Mary McDONALD. At the time of his marriage William HOPKINS was a wheelwright of "Cashmere" Station, Wando Vale, near Casterton, Victoria and Anne McLACHLAN was at "Wando" Station, Wando Vale, near Casterton, Victoria. They had a child near Penola, South Australia in 1856 and another at Digby, S-W Victoria in 1862 and then they ....?....

1856/7 - James McBAIN (1792-1880) b. Inverness-shire, Scotland, son of .... and .... married c.1820 Scotland to Helen DAVIDSON c.1802-1880, b. Inverness-shire, Scotland to John DAVIDSON and Ann FRASER. Helen was a sister of Alexander DAVIDSON 1801-1874 (above) of "Satimer" station, Wando Vale. James McBAIN, his wife Helen and a number of children arrived as assisted migrants at Geelong in 1856, and came to Wando Vale. By 1865 this McBAIN family moved from Wando Vale over the SA border and occupied "Messamurry" Station (near Naracoorte), S-E South Australia. James and Helen died at their "Messamurry" station 1880 and were buried at Naracoorte.

1859 - Owen O'REILLY (1809-1885) from Co Cavan, Ireland took over the "Wando" Pastoral Run in 1859 and held it until 1870. He also held "Steep Bank," "Cashmere" and "Woodburn" stations. He was a member of the original Glenelg District Roads BOARD in 1863 which became the Shire of Glenelg in the following year.

1860 - Thomas KELLY 1817-1898 from Co Kildare, Ireland and his wife Margaret MADGWICK 1835-1909 from Arundel, Sussex, England were married at "Moree Station" near Harrow in 1857. Thomas was listed as a labourer of "Wando Station" from 1860-1864 when some of his children were born. Known children were - Thomas (1858), Margaret (1860), Matthew (1862), Catherine (1864), Charlotte (1867) and Lillian (1870). Thomas and Margaret KELLY both died at Harrow in 1898 and 1909 respectively.

1860s - Alexander Clayhills CAMERON owned land and having children at Satimer, Wando Vale.

1861-63 - McPHERSON : John McPHERSON ~1820-1918, b. Scotland, m. 1854 Marion Sarah McDONALD, nee McKAY ~1815-1898, employee at "Compton" SA 1854-55, "Strathdownie East" 1855-58, "Woodford" 1858-61, "Wando Vale" 1861-63, "Glencoe" SA 1863-1900, died Mt Gambier, SA.

c.1865 - John MAYBERY, b. 1816, Monmouthshire, Wales son of Thomas MAYBERY and Margaret MORGAN, his wife Ann Maria HUFF b. 1821, Marshfield, Gloucestershire, England, daughter of William HUFF and Elizabeth HALL emigrated to South Australia in 1852. The family moved from Myponga, South Australia around 1865 and took up land at Wando Vale, Victoria. John MAYBERY died in 1870 at Broadwater, near Port Fairy and his widow Ann Maria died in 1909 at Natimuk.

Obituary for Ann Maria MAYBERY (nee HUFF)

West Wimmera Mail, 25 Feb 1909
As notified in our last issue, the death of Mrs. Ann Maria MAYBERY, relict of the late John MAYBERY, took place at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, the 16th inst. She was born on the 8th December 1821, and, at the time of her death, had reached the ripe age of 88 years, the place of her birth being Gloucestershire, England. She was married at the age of 22, and, with her husband, came out to South Australia where they followed farming pursuits at Mypunga for a number of years, the date of their arrival in Australia being 1852. They came over to Victoria during the land rush in 1865. They tool up land at Wando Vale, in the Casterton district, where they followed farming and grazing pursuits for some years. From thence having purchased land at Broadwater near Belfast, they resided there for some time. It was here that her late husband died through catching a chill while dipping sheep. From there the old lady, with some of the younger members of the family, removed to the parish of Arapiles, Wimmera district, where the members of the family took up considerable portions of land, and the adjoining parish of Nurcoung, the old lady making her home with her youngest son, Mr. W.E. MAYBERY, of Nurcoung, till the time of her death. The family consists of 8 -- 3 sons and 5 daughters -- Thomas (Gymbowen), Daniel (Mitre Lake), William (Nurcoung), Mrs. CRABB (Mitre Lake), Mrs. Charles DERRICK (Sydney), Mrs. John McLURE (Mitre Lake), Mrs. Hermann KOOK (Darlington Point N.S.W.), Mrs. Thomas ATTENBOROUGH (Ballarat). The old lady was a fine type of an English woman, being courageous, bright, and cheerful, and a great reader, but, unfortunately, the latter years of her life were clouded by total blindness, and almost complete deafness.
The internment took place in the Goroke cemetery on the Friday following her death. A very large number of relatives and friends paid a last tribute to one who was held in very high esteem, there being between 40 and 50 vehicles. The funeral services at the grave were conducted by the Rev.W.J. POWNEY Church of England. The pall bearers were six grandsons of the deceased, namely, Reginald MAYBERY, William McLURE, Henry McLURE, Thomas McLURE, and Gordon McLURE. The Mortuary arrangements were carried out by Messrs. BOURKE and WEBB.

1868 - Capt. James GARDNER c. 1835-1907, from Bath, Somersetshire, England, married Mary Kerr ROBERTSON 1847-1919, leased "Wando Vale" Station from 1868 to 1875, hosted Casterton Hunt Club meet in 1873, moved to New Zealand, d. 1907 Invercargill, NZ, Mary died 1919, Invercargill, NZ.

1870 - George UPTON (1832-1925) selected 58 acres at Wando Bridge on the Torah Road. George was born in Kent, England in 1832 and as a young man served in the British Navy and took part in the Crimean War. One of his grandchildren was killed over Europe as a pilot of a Lancaster bomber in WW2.

1870 - Thomas O'CONNELL (1840-1907) born Ireland in 1840 and emigrated in 1862. Thomas selected 155 acres at "Wando View".

1875 - Ratepayers in Wando Vale area.

Surname	Given Name	Location	Valuation	Shire	Riding
BEST	Jabez	Brimboal	£36	Glenelg	North
BOHAN	Ellen	Brimboal	£36	Glenelg	North
CLARKE	Robert	Brimboal	£32	Glenelg	North
COXON	Elizabeth	Brimboal	£11	Glenelg	North
COXON	Francis	Brimboal	£36	Glenelg	North
COXON	George, sen.,	Brimboal	£77	Glenelg	North
COXON	John	Brimboal	£77	Glenelg	North
DOYLE	James Junr.	Wando	£20	Glenelg	Central
FERRIER	Betsy	Brimboal	£40	Glenelg	North
FERRIER	Duncan	Brimboal	£40	Glenelg	North
FERRIER	James	Brimboal	£28	Glenelg	North
FERRIER	John	Brimboal	£20	Glenelg	North
FERRIER	Thomas	Brimboal	£40	Glenelg	North
HURLEY	Bridget	Wando	£24	Glenelg	Central
KILLEEN	William	Brimboal	£50	Glenelg	North
LUERS	Christoph	Brimboal	£26	Glenelg	North
McEWAN	Annie	Brimboal	£54	Glenelg	North
McKINLAY	Edmond, K.	Brimboal	£51	Glenelg	North
McMURRICK	Catherine	Brimboal	£15	Glenelg	North
McPHERSON	Donald	Wando Vale	£1,864	Glenelg	Central
MOODIE	William	Satimer	£442	Glenelg	North
MURRAY	David	Brimboal	£32	Glenelg	North
NAYLOR [sic] "NEYLON"	Anthony	Brimboal	£40	Glenelg	North
O'CONNELL	Thomas	Barnoolut	£35	Glenelg	Central
O'CONNELL	Michael	Brimboal	£34	Glenelg	North
O'CONNELL	Thomas	Brimboal	£17	Glenelg	North
O'REILLY	James	Brimboal	£128	Glenelg	North
O'REILLY	Theresa	Brimboal	£36	Glenelg	North
O'REILLY	Owen	Wando	£1,638	Glenelg	Central
O'ROURKE	Michael	Barnoolut	£30	Glenelg	Central
PATTERSON	George	Brimboal	£249	Glenelg	North
PENROSE	James	Brimboal	£33	Glenelg	North
PENROSE	Thos.Matthew	Brimboal	£20	Glenelg	North
PUGH	William Thomas	Brimboal	£52	Glenelg	North
ROBERTSON	George	Barnoolut	£223	Glenelg	Central
SILVESTER	Thomas	Wando	£414	Glenelg	South
STEWART	James	Brimboal	£9	Glenelg	North
TAYLOR	Susan	Brimboal	£36	Glenelg	North
UPTON	George	Wando	£18	Glenelg	Central

1881 - Richard Thomas CARTY from Wexford, Ireland leased "Wando Vale" Pastoral Run from 1881 to 1885. Two of his young sons were buried in Casterton.

1885 - BROUGHTON brothers held the "Wando" and "Cashmere" Pastoral Runs from 1885 until 1902.

1900 - Wando Vale Closer Settlement Scheme

Squatters, Selectors & others at Wando Vale 1840+

Glenelg & Wannon Region, South West Victoria, Australia