THE FIRST YEAR OF THE SETTLEMENT 143 



Head. The party numbered seven in all, including four of Mr. 

 Gellibrand's shipmates and his son Tom, and the diarist becomes 

 quite eloquent over the beauty of the country adjacent to the 

 settlement. The scenery, he says, about the ford on the Salt Water 

 Eiver is in some spots quite enchanting, the land very rich, a suc- 

 cession of gentle hills and dales. The first view of the river and 

 its windings is " beautiful beyond description ". But from the 

 ford to the first station on the Exe, a distance of fourteen miles, it 

 was flat and rather rocky, and thence all the way to Geelong open 

 plains thinly grassed and exposed to cutting winds. The station 

 on the Exe was on the boundary of Gellibrand's allotment, so they 

 camped here for the night, and next day made an early start across 

 the plains to the head of " Geelong Harbour," where another of 

 the party, William Bobertson, was gratified with a first view of 

 his domain (No. 16), extending from there to the Barwon River. 

 Another night's bivouac and the next morning found them travel- 

 ling over the Bellarine Hills towards Indented Head, over the 

 land reserved for Mr. Sinclair. 



They reached the turfed huts of the settlement late in the 

 afternoon, and found the solitary bailiff in charge of the place in a 

 condition of hostility with the surrounding country. The natives 

 had stolen a quantity of potatoes out of the garden, and on dis- 

 covering his loss the surly custodian had threatened to shoot any 

 of them he saw about the place. In consequence of this they had 

 all cleared out, and Gellibrand was greatly displeased to find that 

 the arrangement for supplying them with provisions and so retain- 

 ing their good-will had not been carried out. On the following 

 day, when they started on their return journey, they were anxious 

 to find some of the natives and reassure them. To prevent their 

 taking alarm at the sight of armed white men, Buckley was ordered 

 to keep some distance in advance, and after they had ridden a few 

 miles in his track they saw him stop at a native well, and hurried 

 up in response to his " cooey ". " When we arrived at the spot," 

 writes Gellibrand, " I witnessed one of the most pleasing and 

 affecting sights. There were three men, five women and about 

 twelve children. Buckley had dismounted, and they were all cling- 

 ing round him, and tears of joy running down their cheeks. It 



