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- 31 May 1856
The sloop-of war HMCS VICTORIA, (CMDR W. H. Norman, RN), arrived at Port Phillip, Melbourne, VIC, on her maiden voyage from the United Kingdom. VICTORIA was proclaimed as the ‘first vessel of war built to the order of a British colony’, thus launching Australia’s first colonial navy.
- 26 March 1857
HMVS VICTORIA, (sloop of war), trained her guns on prison hulks anchored off Williamstown, VIC, during disturbances following the murder of John Price, (Inspector General of Prisons), by convicts.
- 18 July 1857
HMS PELORUS, (screw steam corvette), was commissioned at Plymouth, England, under CAPT Frederick B. P. Seymour, RN. PELORUS was flagship of the Australia Station in 1860, and during that year participated in the Battle of Taranaki in New Zealand. In this battle, CAPT Seymour was seriously wounded while leading a naval brigade of 600 men against the Maori defences.
- 04 February 1858
The Naval Brigade from the screw corvette HMS PELORUS, (CAPT F. P. B. Seymour, RN), landed at Rangoon to garrison Meaday Fort. PELORUS was flagship on the Australia Station in 1860.
- 20 February 1858
HM Ships ELK, BOSCAWEN, and HMVS VICTORIA, searched Bass Strait and the south coast of Victoria for HMS SAPPHO which vanished without trace on a passage to Sydney.
- 01 April 1858
The following ships were on the Australia Station:-Sailing vessels; IRIS, (26 guns), SAPPHO, (12 guns), and BRAMBLE, (tender).Steam screw vessel; CORDELIA, (11 guns).
- 28 June 1858
The Admiralty approved an expenditure of from £4000 to £6000 for rendering Garden Island, Sydney, available for the repair of HM ships.
- 09 October 1858
The hulk MELBOURNE was the first ship to be slipped at Williamstown Dockyard, VIC.
- 20 October 1858
The Victorian Government approved the building of a graving dock at Williamstown.
- 23 February 1859
Boats from HMVS VICTORIA rescued the crew of the sailing vessel B. NORRIS, which caught fire and sank in Port Phillip.
- 25 March 1859
The Australia Station was established as a separate command. The Station was defined in a minute from the Admiralty: “Australia Station:- Bounded on the North by the Parallel of 10 degrees of South Latitude, on the East by the Meridian of 170th degree of West Longitude, on the South by the Antarctic Circle, and on the West by the Meridian of 75th degree of East Longitude”. Ships from the Australia Station were involved in operations from Malaya to the west coast of America and the Pacific islands.
- 26 March 1859
CDRE William Loring, CB, was appointed Commodore commanding the newly established Australian Squadron of the Royal Navy, which became independent of the C-in-C, India. His Flagship was HMS IRIS, and HM Ships NIGER, CORDELIA, ELK, and PELORUS completed the squadron.
- 15 May 1859
CDRE W. Loring, RN, in HMS IRIS, offered to exchange Fort Macquarie for Garden Island as a base for RN ships in Australia.
- 01 June 1859
The Imperial Squadron on the Australia Station consisted of HM Ships IRIS, (26 guns sailing); PELORUS, (21 guns screw); NIGER, (14 guns screw); ELK, (12 guns sailing); and CORDELIA, (11 guns screw).
- 10 March 1860
CDRE F. B. P. Seymour, CB, RN, was appointed Commodore Commanding the Australia Station, his flagship was HMS PELOROUS. Seymour was a fighting officer, leading the naval forces in the Maori Wars, and in July 1882 as ADML Sir Beauchamp Seymour; he commanded the British Fleet in the capture of Alexandria, Egypt.
- 28 March 1860
HMCS VICTORIA, (screw steamer), joined the Australian Squadron, HM Ships IRIS, NIGER, CORDELIA, PELORUS, MIRANDA, HARRIET, and ORPHEUS, involved in the second Maori War.
- 24 April 1860
HMVS VICTORIA sailed from Melbourne for service in the Maori War, in New Zealand. This was Australia’s first commitment of forces overseas.
- 30 April 1860
HMVS VICTORIA transported 120 troops of the 90th Regiment to New Plymouth, New Zealand.
- 27 June 1860
The Naval Brigade of HMS PELORUS, flagship of the Australia Station, participated in an unsuccessful attack on the Maori Pah at Puketakauere, New Zealand.
- 15 September 1860
HMC Schooner SPITFIRE, (LEUT J. W. Smith, RN), was attacked by natives off Cape Cleveland, QLD. The attack was repulsed without casualties in the schooner.
- 22 October 1860
CDRE Loring, commanding the Australia Station, reported from New Zealand where he was commanding a naval squadron against the Maoris: ‘The disturbances in New Zealand are likely to detain HM Ships in these waters for an indefinite time’.
- 19 December 1860
HMCS VICTORIA, (CMDR Norman, RN), landed a detachment of seamen, and captured Matarikoriko Pa, New Zealand.
- 29 December 1860
The Naval Brigades of HMS PELORUS, (wood screw corvette), flagship of the Australian Station, and HMCS VICTORIA, landed at Kairau, New Zealand, to support British troops under attack from Maoris.
They were under the command of CDRE Frederick Seymour, RN, commander of the Australia Squadron, 1860-62.
- 23 January 1861
A gun crew from HMS PELORUS, flagship of the Australia Station, joined the defenders of the British redoubt at Huirangi, NZ, in repulsing savage attacks by Maoris.
- 23 February 1861
A naval brigade of 74 officers and ratings from HMS FAWN, (screw corvette), was despatched from Sydney with a military contingent to put down lawlessness amongst miners at Lambing Flats, NSW.
- 16 April 1861
In the Royal Navy the rank of Master’s Mate was renamed as Sub Lieutenant, and the Captains’ rank insignia was changed to four stripes.
- 04 September 1861
HMVS VICTORIA, (CAPT W. H. Norman, RN), rescued the crew of the bark FIREFLY from a reef in the Sir Charles Hardy Islands off Queensland. The two vessels were searching for the ill-fated Burke and Wills trans-Australia expedition.
- 21 July 1862
CDRE William F. Burnett, CB, appointed Commodore Commanding Australia Station. His flagship was HMS ORPHEUS.
- 27 September 1862
HMS BEATRICE, (99 ton topsail schooner), was commissioned. The vessel was jointly owned by the Admiralty and the South Australian Government, and was that State’s first man-o-war.
- 07 February 1863
The screw corvette HMS ORPHEUS, (CDRE William Burnett, RN), flagship of the Australia Station, was wrecked at the entrance to Manukau Harbour, New Zealand. Of the 256 ship’s crew, 187, including CDRE Burnett, and a number of Australian Midshipmen, were lost. ORPHEUS was less than two years old.
- 15 February 1863
The Admiralty offered the NSW Government the 3rd Rate Ship of the Line, HMS BRUNSWICK, as a training ship for the New South Wales Naval Brigade. The offer was conditional on the Government paying the cost of iron cladding the vessel. The offer was declined.
- 20 April 1863
CDRE Sir William S. Wiseman, RN, was appointed Commodore Commanding Australia Station. His flagship was HMS CURACAO.
- 17 May 1863
The New South Wales Volunteer Naval Reserve was formed in Sydney.
- 19 May 1863
The NSW Naval Brigade was formed. The strength of the Brigade at its first parade was 20 officers and men.
- 18 April 1864
HMVS VICTORIA transported 100,000 salmon, and 3000 trout ova, from Melbourne to Hobart to establish Tasmania’s fish hatcheries.
- 28 April 1864
Naval brigades from HM Ships CURACOA and MIRANDA, of the Australia Station, attacked the GRAND PAH in New Zealand. The naval campaign in the Maori Wars was directed by the Commodore Commanding Australia Station.
- 05 August 1864
The British Government allocated the White Ensign to the RN, the Blue Ensign to the RNR, and the Red Ensign to the MN.
Squadronal colours were abolished in the RN. Admirals of the Red, White, and Blue, were replaced by Rear Admiral, Vice Admiral, and Admiral ranks.
- 20 February 1865
LEUT Cornelius E. Hunt of the Confederate States raider Shenandoah recorded in his journal two days out of Port Phillip:”"Our ship’s company has received a mysterious addition of 45 men”. The men were Australian volunteers smuggled on board at Williamstown.
- 22 May 1866
CDRE Rochford Maguire, RN, was appointed Commodore Commanding Australia Station. His flagship was HMS CHALLENGER.
- 05 June 1866
The Government Gazette proclaimed: ‘The whole of Garden Island is now therefore permanently dedicated as a Depot for the use of Her Majesty’s Ships’. Garden Island, Sydney, occupied 12 acres at this time. By 1900 it had grown to 19 acres due to reclaimation, and in 1980 it was 2.5 acres.