The story of how exploration and settlement at Port Phillip paved the way for colonising present-day Victoria. Recounts the attempt by the Port Phillip Association to have its agreement with the Aborigines ratified by the British government, which approved the settlement but not the treaties. Demonstrates how the Tasmanian adventurers were denied the just rewards for their enterprise as the Sydney treasury and private speculators reaped the major benefits from the new settlement. Includes maps, illustrations, and supplementary papers.