The following letter is from a townsman who emigrated to Australia.

This is certainly a “wonderful place” Indeed instead of finding Geelong a small and insignificant village, it is a large- growing, flourishing town situated at bottom of a very fine bay. There are a great number of lighters and small craft employed landing from the large ships, and that trade pays well – the men get £10 - £12 a month – and they don’t work half as hard as the Kessock men.

Melbourne is a large, flourishing and busy city. The streets are wide and spacious. There are great numbers of very fine buildings of stone, iron, brick, zinc, wood and of all put together and there are great numbers of shops as fine as any in Edinburgh or London or anywhere.

Hobson’s bay present a scene the likes of which you would see nowhere else, what would you think of five to six hundred sail of the largest ships in the world in the bay and five or six hundred more smaller ones in the river, beside lighters. There is not a ship belonging to Inverness would make anything but a lighter here. The steam trade is also very large. The Culloden is a river boat in Van Diemen’s Land. I have not seen her, but I have seen a great many vessel which I have seen before.

Houses in Melbourne are fearfully dear, so very often too many people live together to save expense, and thereby endanger their lives. The climate is very good. Certainly some days are very hot, but the evenings are charming! The greatest objective is that occasionally there are hot winds accompanied by dust, which is very disagreeable. The winter is very bad as there will be so much mud. The streets are not all paved yet, but they will be very soon. The traffic is very great. Between draymen and water-draymen there are upwards of 5000 regularly licensed drays or carts in Melbourne and all that constantly at work.

I must now try to give you some idea of what folk are doing – at lEast those of then known to you. Simon Fraser, the mason, is working at his trade here and has 30s a day. Thomas Gourlay the plumber is also here and has about the same wage. George Huthcheson’s son is working here and has £5 a week. John Macbean has got a situation as gardener to gentlemen near Geelong and has £90 a year and plentiful rations. I am acting as shipping clerk to a Glasgow company, who are ships owners, ship-agents, insurance agents and commission agents. My work is certainly not heavy but my pay is poor compared to tradesmen. At the present rate I can save more than I could earn at Kessock and I am not afraid but I will soon get better wages. My sister is living with me, and were it not that she is unfortunately acting as sick-nurse to a person living in the same house, she would make very good wages sewing or washing.

Mrs Stewart and family from the Merkinch are next door neighbours of ours. The boys are all in good situations. Robertson the druggist has charge of a large drug shop but Mackenzie the jeweller is not constantly employed. He was asking a job from me at the wharf the other day as a labourer. Robert Wright the carpenter is here and making a fortune fast. His greatest enemies at Inverness were his best friends- at lEast they were the means of forcing him on to his own good. I saw a lad of the name Paterson to-day. He left Inverness by some guano vessel. In fact I could not go through the whole length of a street without seeing some old face, so you need not think that we are lonely. You will hear Gaelic in every direction and you can pick up a countryman at almost every step.

The most ordinary labourers get 10s a day and extra or handy ones get 15s and sometimes as high as 20s; masons get 30s to 40s a day; bricklayers the same and plasters ditto; carpenters from 25s to 35s; blacksmiths ditto, and all tradesmen are well paid. Tailors and shoemakers are not well paid just now because people can purchase than the price of making then. Clerks and shopkeepers should not come here. House servants are paid very high. Cooks get £40 to £60 a year and laundry maids ditto; housemaids £30-£50 and inferior ones £20 to £30.

A man can get board and lodging for 30s a week, good ditto for 35s; very good for 40s; but he pays 8s per dozen for washing. House rents are fearful. Fancy 20s a week for a room! Where we live we pay 30s a week for a room and garret, between my sister and I. Some people manage to live on a cheaper scale still, by purchasing a tent and paying5s a week for ground rent.

There is mistake but this is a good place for all strong, active and willing young people, male and female. Mind, I am not advising anyone to come here – I leave that to their own judgment. I am only telling then how things really are, and I may add for my own part that I do not regret leaving home.

I think I have endeavoured to give you all the news I can, but before I close, I may say just no greater mistake can be than to think that people’s lives are in much danger here – nothing of the kind. People are much safe, and their property much safer, than at Inverness; and as proof of this I may add that when my sister washes, she hangs all clothes out to dry all night, quite exposed without any fear, and you know if this was done at Kessock she would get a short account of then in the morning!