A brief history of Williamstown

The first European to Arrive at Williamstown was Acting-Lieutenant Robbins who with his survey party explored Point Gellibrand in 1803. Later in 1835 John Batman explored the area up to the mouth of the Yarra River, the same year the first settlers arrived with 1000 cows and sheep.

In 1837 Governor Bourke named the point Williamstown after King William IV. by 1839 the town had large shipping facilities including a pier and government stores all built by convict labor.

By 1841 there were three hotels in the town and population was about 300 people, while in 1842 the St Mary's School was established.
 

Scienceworks museum, located on the banks of the Yarra River, beside the West Gate Bridge, is partly housed in Melbourne's first sewerage pumping station

The gold rush that started in 1851 caused a great deal of traffic through the port, a light house was erected by convicts the same year and by 1854 a stockade, gun battery and observatory were all built.

A privately owned railway line from Geelong to Newport was operating by 1856 it was later bought by the government in 1858 and extended across the river to Melbourne in 1859.

by the early 1860s the town had over 4000 residents now with piped gas and water, in 1864 town boundaries extended to include Newport and Spotswood and in 1886 Williamstown was proclaimed a town and later a city in 1919.