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Reverend Joseph DockerPrint Page 
Reverend Docker migrated from England to Sydney in 1828, where he took up a colonial chaplaincy. In 1838, after reading Major Thomas Mitchell's account of Australia Felix, he decided to relocate his family to the Port Phillip district.
Docker left Sydney with his wife and five children, servants, a flock of sheep, some cattle and even a boat. They travelled through Goulburn and Yass and crossed the Murray River at Albury, or the Crossing-Place as it was known. He followed 'Mitchell’s Line' through the Port Phillip district.
He had heard about the abandoned Bontharambo run on the Ovens River near Wangarratta. George Faithful had previously held the squatting rights there but had left when the local Indigenous people had killed his shepherds.
On his arrival at Bontharambo, Docker obtained the squatting rights and took possession of the hut. He was well known in the Port Phillip district and was said to have had a much better relationship with the Indigenous people in the area.
Location
| Address: | 6 The Close, Holy Trinity Cathedral, Wangaratta, 3677 |
|---|---|
| State: | VIC |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -36.355193 Long: 146.321394 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Plaque |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Settlement |
Dedication
Sacred to the memory of the Rev. Joseph Docker of Bontharambo House in this Parish
Youngest son of William Docker Esq. of Newby, Westmoreland, England
Who died April 10. 1865
Aged 72 years.
A pioneer who in 1838 settled on the Ovens River.
