Hutchinson Reserve Multi-Cache

William Hutchinson married Harriet Palmer in Manchester Cathedral, England, on 18.2.1833. They lived in Green Lane, Ardwick, a suburb of Manchester. William was a carpenter and joiner so he may have worked in some association with his father-in-law, John Palmer, a noted architect of many buildings including Blackburn Cathedral and Pleasington Priory.
In 1839, William, Harriet and two children, Harriet 3 and William 10 months, sailed from Liverpool for South Australia on the 'Lysander". Their eldest child Eleanor must have died as she did not accompany them.

They arrived on 6.7.1839 and landed in the southern reach of the Port River known as Port Misery - a mosquito infested mangrove swamp across which passengers were carried or rowed to the muddy bank.
For the first 2 years William lived at Port Adelaide and worked as a joiner, possibly helping to build the new Port which opened in 1840. The first official census taken in 1840 gave a population of 8489.

In 1842 William purchased 76 acres of land at Hackham for 76 pounds. When the family moved there to live only a few tracks wound their way over the hills from Adelaide to Hackham in the south. They called their farm 'Ardwick', after the Manchester suburb from which they had come 4 years earlier.
Records show that in 1844 William had 9 acres wheat and 8 acres barley sewn to crop. He was also in demand for his carpentry skills and in 1843 he worked on the erection of the Noarlunga steam and flour mill. The mill enabled local farmers, such as William, to have their grain ground into flour both for their own use and to sell.
Between 1848-49 he sold 70 acres of land for 240 pound, leaving him with only 6 acres of his original purchase. There was much land speculation and he bought and sold other property as well.
Six more children were born to William and Harriet in South Australia - Elizabeth 1840, Mary 1843, John Palmer 1845, Eleanor 1847, Thomas Palmer 1850 and Frederick William 1852.