William Adams Brodribb (27 May 1809 – 31 May 1886) was an Australian pastoralist and politician. He was born in London on 27 May 1809. His father, also William Adams Brodribb, was an attorney who was convicted of administering unlawful oaths in 1816 and transported for seven years. He arrived at

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

in in March 1817, and was sent to

Hobart Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...

. In February 1818 his wife and children arrived at

in ''Duke of Wellington''. They settled on a farm near New Norfolk and three more sons were born. In April 1835 William junior moved to

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

and became a partner in a cattle station. In 1836 he overlanded the second draft of cattle to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. On returning from Port Phillip Brodribb relocated to what later became the site of

Gundagai Gundagai is a town in New South Wales, Australia. Although a small town, Gundagai is a popular topic for writers and has become a representative icon of a typical Australian country town. Located along the Murrumbidgee River and Muniong, Honeys ...

. In August Brodribb petitioned for a punt over the Murrumbidgee near his Gundagai hut and in January 1838 Deputy Surveyor General Samuel Perry reported that 'a better site could not have been chosen for a Town of the first class' in reference to Gundagai. In 1841, following Strzelecki, he formed an expedition to

Gippsland Gippsland is a rural region that makes up the southeastern part of Victoria, Australia, mostly comprising the coastal plains to the rainward (southern) side of the Victorian Alps (the southernmost section of the Great Dividing Range). It covers ...

which named

Port Albert Port Albert is a coastal town in Victoria, Australia, on the coast of Corner Inlet on the Yarram - Port Albert Road, south-east of Morwell, south-east of Melbourne, in the Shire of Wellington. At the , Port Albert had a population of 293. L ...

, the

Latrobe River The Latrobe River (or sometimes La Trobe or LaTrobe) is a perennial river of the West Gippsland catchment, located in the West Gippsland region of the Australian state of Victoria. The Latrobe River and its associated sub-catchment is an import ...

, the Albert River and explored inland. In 1843 he became manager of the Monaro runs of William Bradley. For the next twelve years he lived on

Coolringdon Coolringdon is a locality in the Local Government Area of the Snowy Monaro Regional Council, in the Monaro region of New South Wales, Australia. It lies in the foothills of the Snowy Mountains, west of Cooma. At the , there were 73 people usua ...

station near

Cooma Cooma is a town in the south of New South Wales, Australia. It is located south of the national capital, Canberra, via the Monaro Highway. It is also on the Snowy Mountains Highway, connecting Bega with the Riverina. At the , Cooma had a po ...

. In 1855 he settled on the Wanganella run, near

Deniliquin Deniliquin () is a town in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia, close to the border with Victoria. It is the largest town in the Edward River Council local government area. Deniliquin is located at the intersection of the Riverina ...

. He owned a series of properties in western New South Wales until retiring to Sydney in 1879. At the 1859 election he was a candidate for the seat

Balranald Balranald is a town within the local government area of Balranald Shire, in the Riverina district of New South Wales, Australia. The town of Balranald is located where the Sturt Highway crosses the Murrumbidgee River in a remote, semi-desert ...

in the

New South Wales Legislative Assembly The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament Ho ...

, but was unsuccessful. In July 1861 Brodribb won the seat of Brighton in the

Victorian Legislative Assembly The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The presiding ...

, but resigned the following year. His brother Kenric was also a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly, representing St Kilda from 1861 to 1864. He made a further attempt for a seat in the NSW Legislative Assembly at the 1864-65 election for Monara, but was unsuccessful. He was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly at the November 1880 election for the seat of

Wentworth Wentworth may refer to: People * Wentworth (surname) * Judith Blunt-Lytton, 16th Baroness Wentworth (1873–1957), Lady Wentworth, notable Arabian horse breeder * S. Wentworth Horton (1885–1960), New York state senator * Wentworth Miller (born 1 ...

, but he served for barely a year before he resigned to accept appointment to the Legislative Council in December 1881, where he remained until his death. Brodribb published an autobiography in 1883. He died in Sydney on 31 May 1886 (aged 77) and was buried with his family in St Andrew's Graveyard, Brighton, Victoria.

Etymology

The

Brodribb River The Brodribb River is a perennial river of the Snowy River catchment, located in the East Gippsland region of the Australian state of Victoria. Course and features Formed by the confluence of the South Branch and the North Branch of the river ...

East Gippsland East Gippsland is the eastern region of Gippsland, Victoria, Australia covering 31,740 square kilometres (14%) of Victoria. It has a population of 80,114. Australian Bureau of Statistics2006 Census Community Profile Series: East Gippsland (Sta ...

is named after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brodribb, William Adams 1809 births 1886 deaths Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council 19th-century Australian politicians English emigrants to colonial Australia Burials in Victoria (Australia) Australian pastoralists Settlers of Victoria (Australia)