Harley Johnston
| Town/City | Sydney |
|---|---|
| First name | Harley |
| Last name | Johnston |
| Country of Origin | Scotland |
| Date of Birth | 8/4/1810 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1840 |
| Submitted by | Marshall Johnston |
Story
Harley Robert Johnston b. 4 August 1810 was of Scottish descent.
Trained as a surveyor, he joined the West Australian Company, a colonising company formed by a number of prominent people in England to establish a settlement in a area just north of Bunbury which they called Australind. Harley sailed there in the “Island Queen” in August 1840.
A town was laid out and some of the land allocated but as the Company ran out of money the plan was never implemented. However many of the settlers who came out remained in the area or in other parts of WA.
Harley’s son, Harry Johnston, also a surveyor, eventually became Surveyor General of Western Australia. His son, Frederick Johnston, born in 1885 was my father, and he followed in his father’s footsteps and ended up as Commonwealth Surveyor General.