9 November 1843      William Mortlock

William Mortlock arrived in South Australia on 9 November 1843 and on 17 December sailed to Sydney returning with a quantity of mixed merchandise. He established himself as a maltster with interests in flour milling. In 1847 he undertook his first pastoral venture near Port Lincoln which, with additions, eventually became Yalluna Station. In 1850 in Port Lincoln he married Margaret, the 18 year-old daughter of John Tennant. In the 1860s he greatly extended his holdings which included Pichi Richi, Mount Arden and Yudnapinna leases. He represented Flinders in the House of Assembly for various terms from 1868-84. He died at Avenel House, Medindie on 10 May 1884. His son William inherited his estates and later bought Martindale Hall from Edward Bowman. The Mortlock family are remembered for their generous bequest to the Waite Research Institute and the Mortlock Library which held South Australian archival material.

D. Pike (ed), Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 5, pp.301-02.