John Batman was a pioneer of Melbourne, born in 1801 on the 21st January in New South Wales. His father, William Batman, was sent to Australia in 1797 for receiving stolen saltpetre, his wife, Mary, then paid for herself and their children to come with him. The family lived in Parramatta where William owned a timber-yard. John left home in 1816 when he moved to Sydney as a Blacksmith apprentice. In 1821 John moved to Van Diemen’s Land (Now Tasmania) with his brother Henry and a woman named Eliza Thompson. In 1824 Batman was given a grant of 600 acres, in March 1828 Batman and Eliza Thompson were married at St Johns, Launceston.
This website aims to focus on the life of John Batman, and how that affected Melbourne and the general public.
John Wesley Burtt, circa 1875. Painting: oil on canvas
John Batman 