Frontier History in Colonial Early Victoria
Introduction
Geelong (Djilang), established in the late 1830s on Wadawurrung Country, became one of the earliest centres of colonial expansion in Victoria. Initially governed under the New South Wales administration, the region developed rapidly through pastoralism, the gold rush, and industrialisation.
This growth was underpinned by Crown authority—exercised through magistrates, military officers, and later civic leaders—which imposed new systems of governance over land already structured by Indigenous lore.
This article examines who held authority in Geelong during the nineteenth century, how colonial governance displaced Wadawurrung systems of lore, and the lasting impacts on community, land, and cultural continuity.
Early Settlement and Wadawurrung Country
The Geelong region lies within the traditional Country of the Wadawurrung, one of the five Nations of the Kulin Confederation. For thousands of years, Wadawurrung people managed the volcanic plains, rivers, and coastal systems through fire practices, seasonal movement, ceremony, and kinship systems governed by lore (Clark 1990; Gammage 2011).
Key landscapes included:
The Barwon River and Moorabool River systems
Coastal environments around Corio Bay
Volcanic plains supporting murnong (yam daisy) and grazing species
From the mid-1830s, pastoral expansion brought sheep and cattle onto these lands. Competition for water, food, and territory led to conflict. By the late 1830s, violence—including killings near the You Yangs and Barwon River—had significantly reduced Wadawurrung populations (Clark 1995; Broome 2005).
Crown Authority and Local Administration
Geelong was incorporated into the Port Phillip District, with authority exercised through Crown-appointed officials.
Captain Foster Fyans and Colonial Control
In 1837, Captain Foster Fyans was appointed Police Magistrate of Geelong. A former British military officer, Fyans established a government presence at Corio Bay and enforced colonial order across the region (Cahir 2012).
His authority included:
Policing settlers and regulating land occupation
Suppressing Indigenous resistance
Supporting the expansion of pastoral settlement
Military units, including detachments of the 28th Regiment of Foot, reinforced this control. Mounted police and Native Police units were also deployed, often acting against Indigenous groups defending Country (Connor 2002).
The Transition to Settler Governance
By the mid-nineteenth century, Geelong transitioned from military oversight to civic governance:
1849: Incorporated as a town
1850: Declared a municipality
1855 onwards: Representation in the Victorian Parliament
Economic expansion—driven by wool exports and the Ballarat gold rush—shifted power toward settlers, including merchants, squatters, and industrialists such as James Harrison (Serle 1971).
This transition did not restore Indigenous authority; instead, it entrenched systems that excluded Wadawurrung governance and lore.
Protectorates, Missions, and Displacement
The Protectorate System
In the late 1830s, Geelong fell under the jurisdiction of the Protectorate system. Charles Sievwright, Assistant Protector for the Western District, attempted to document violence and advocate for Indigenous communities (Clark 1995).
However:
His investigations into settler violence led to political backlash
He was dismissed in 1842
The Protectorate system weakened and collapsed
This marked a shift away from even minimal protection toward greater dispossession.
Missions and Forced Relocation
By the 1850s–60s, surviving Wadawurrung people were displaced to missions and reserves:
Framlingham (Gunditjmara Country)
Coranderrk (Wurundjeri Country, established 1863)
These relocations disrupted:
Kinship networks across Kulin Nations
Access to Country and seasonal food systems
Cultural practices tied to specific landscapes
Mission life imposed strict regulation, replacing systems of lore with colonial authority structures (Barwick 1998; Broome 2005).
Colonial Policy and Its Local Impact
With Victoria’s separation from New South Wales in 1851, colonial policy became locally administered.
Key legislation included:
Central Board for the Protection of Aborigines (1860): Controlled missions and reserves
Protection Act (1869): Regulated movement, employment, and residence
“Half-Caste Act” (1886): Forced removal of people from missions, breaking families and communities
These policies fragmented Wadawurrung-descended families, many of whom were forced into itinerant labour roles or urban marginalisation (Broome 2005).
Geelong Society and Indigenous Marginalisation
By the late nineteenth century:
Geelong had become a major regional city
Local governance was exercised through municipal councils and Parliament
Economic growth was driven by wool, manufacturing, and transport
Meanwhile, Wadawurrung people were largely excluded from civic life:
Many worked as shearers, labourers, or domestic servants
Cultural practices were restricted or hidden
Presence on Country was reduced to small, scattered communities
Colonial authority structures replaced Indigenous systems of lore with legal and economic systems that did not recognise prior ownership or governance.
Timeline: Geelong (Djilang), 1835–1900
1835–36: Pastoral settlement begins on Wadawurrung Country; conflicts occur near You Yangs and Barwon River
1837: Foster Fyans appointed Police Magistrate; military presence established
1839: Protectorate system introduced; Sievwright appointed
1842: Protectorate weakened following Sievwright’s dismissal
1849–50: Geelong incorporated and municipal governance established
1851: Gold rush expands Geelong’s economic role
1860: Central Board for the Protection of Aborigines established
1863: Coranderrk Mission established; displacement intensifies
1869: Protection Act formalises control over Indigenous lives
1886: “Half-Caste Act” accelerates family separation
1890s: Geelong industrialises; Indigenous communities remain marginalised
Country, Lore, and Continuing Presence
Despite displacement, Wadawurrung connections to Country persisted:
Cultural knowledge was maintained through family and oral tradition
Sacred sites, including areas near the You Yangs and Barwon River, retained significance
Seasonal knowledge and ecological understanding continued in adapted forms
Today, Wadawurrung Traditional Owners play an increasing role in cultural heritage management and land care, reconnecting governance with systems of lore.
Conclusion
Geelong’s development reflects the layered authority of Crown officials, military enforcement, and settler governance. From the arrival of Foster Fyans to the rise of municipal government, colonial power reshaped Wadawurrung Country into a regional economic centre.
For the Wadawurrung people, however, this transformation came at profound cost—dispossession, displacement, and the suppression of systems of lore that had governed land and life for millennia.
Yet these systems endure. Through cultural renewal, land management, and truth-telling, Wadawurrung communities continue to assert connection to Country, demonstrating that while colonial authority reshaped the landscape, it did not erase Indigenous presence or knowledge.
References
Barwick, D 1998, Rebellion at Coranderrk, Aboriginal Studies Press, Canberra.
Boyce, J 2011, 1835: The Founding of Melbourne and the Conquest of Australia, Black Inc., Melbourne.
Broome, R 2005, Aboriginal Victorians: A History Since 1800, Allen & Unwin, Sydney.
Cahir, F 2012, Black Gold, ANU E Press, Canberra.
Clark, ID 1990, Aboriginal Languages and Clans, Monash University.
Clark, ID 1995, Scars in the Landscape, Aboriginal Studies Press.
Connor, J 2002, The Australian Frontier Wars, UNSW Press, Sydney.
Gammage, B 2011, The Biggest Estate on Earth, Allen & Unwin, Sydney.
Serle, G 1971, The Golden Age, Melbourne University Press.
Shaw, A 1966, A History of the Port Phillip District, Melbourne University Press.
Written, Researched and Directed by James Vegter (22 October 2025)
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