Moving to Sydney

By the late 1830's Robert Henderson is a prominent resident at Brisbane Water, but his business interests are increasingly based in Sydney. He has acquired a number of properties close to the waterfront in Darling Harbour, at the foot of Erskine Street and he has established a wharf there from which he conducts his shipping operations. He has also acquired an inn on the corner of Erskine and Sussex Streets which is leased under the name of the 'Sprig of Shillalah’.

Meanwhile his son Robert Jnr is nearing school age, with no school nearby to their home at Veteran Hall. Robert has been active in trying to get a school established. He is a member of the committee that will build the school, but it is moving too slowly for Robert Jnr, and maybe the parents are hoping for a better education than a small rural school is likely to provide.

From what I can work out from the records, by late 1838, Robert is spending most of his time in Sydney, leaving Catherine to hold the fort at Veteran Hall. In June 1939, Catherine complains to the authorities that a man named Lowry, has blocked the road though his property, and that this was the only road they could use to access Veteran Hall.

When the 1841 Census is taken, James Wigglesworth and his family are living at Veteran Hall as tenants. The census record for the Darling Harbour area is missing, but other documents from 1941 show Robert residing at Sussex Street Sydney.

From this evidence, I have concluded that Robert and Catherine moved to Sydney around 1840. Perhaps Lowry's closing the road was the final straw for Catherine.

Now that the family is all in Sydney, they take over the running of their hotel and rename it 'The Dove Inn', with the first license in Robert's name being issued in 1842. This becomes the base for their operations for the next 20 years.

Robert continues to visit Brisbane Water regularly and he does not resign from the school committee until late in 1842. I am not sure whether this was brought on by his absence in Sydney, or his impending disgrace in the smuggling affair discussed last week.

A new family home was finally built at No 5 Erskine Street (adjacent or close to the Dove Inn). Robert advertised for builders in late 1844 (see advertisement above) and the home was completed in 1845.