The Port Phillip District
The State of Victoria was known as the Port Phillip district of the colony of New Soth Wales before its separation and formatioon as a separate colony from 1 July 1851.
Indigenous Australians had lived here for many thousands of years. European settlement at what is now Melbourne, on the northern shore of Port Phillip Bay, commenced in 1835. There were some earlier European settlers on the southern coast.
The area of the District varied a bit over time – at its largest it included land between the Murray and the Murrumbidgee, as shown in this map. By the time of separation its borders were those of the current state of Victoria
Below is
- a video on the history of the Port Phillip District and the work of the Port Phillip Pioneers Group
- an historical timeline
- a list of Pioneers claimed as ancestors by members of the Group
- information about a database on people in the District before 1851 (the ‘Record of References’) available to members
- an audio story about one of our ancestors
- information on how to become a member
Historical Timeline
See a chronology of historical events in the timeline..
Lester Stephen’s Record of References to the Port Phillip Pioneers
The official census of the Port Phillip District of March 1851 recorded a total population of...
List of Claimed Pioneers
As at 13 July 2024 The Port Phillip Pioneers Group has had over 1,500 members since starting...
Port Phillip Ancestor Stories
One of the main functions of the Port Phillip Pioneers Group is to preserve and transmit stories...
How to Join
Membership of the Port Phillip Pioneers Group is open to persons having ancestors of whom at least one settled or was born in the present State of Victoria prior to 1 July, 1851 and can provide proof of direct lineal descent from their Pioneer ancestor/s.
If you have not yet proved your descent, or are just interested in what we do, you can join as an Associate Member.