During this month

1836 Caroline Newcomb arrives from Launceston as governess to John Batman’s daughters; the town of Newcomb (now suburb of Geelong) is named after her.
1837 Melbourne Post Office opens at the corner of Bourke and Elizabeth Streets.
1838 The first punt is launched on the Yarra River midway between the foot of Swanston and Russell Streets.
1839 A second punt is operating further up the river, at present-day Punt Road.
1840 A quarantine camp is set up at present-day Elwood after the arrival of the Glen Huntly from Glasgow carrying passengers with fever; 11 had died on board.
1843 The lighthouse at Shortland’s Bluff (Queenscliff) is lit for the first time.
1846 Charles Joseph La Trobe reaches Cape Otway on foot, after two failed attempts, to fix a site for a lighthouse.
1847 An overland mail service begins between Melbourne and Adelaide; at first it is very slow but within a year it takes 14 days for mail to arrive.
1851 Geelong Botanic Gardens are founded on the site selected by La Trobe.
1852 The Geelong Hospital, then known as the Geelong Infirmary and Benevolent Asylum, opens.
1852 Charles Joseph La Trobe spends three weeks visiting the goldfields on horseback, returning via Wangaratta.