Lonsdale's salary was 300 pounds Sterling, 50 pounds being deducted whilst he drew half pay from his Regiment as Commandant of a Company of the King's Own 4th at Port Phillip. He received a 100-pound outfitting allowance for this new appointment. The Governor, with his authority over the Royal Navy in the region, instructed Captain William Hobson and , just arrived in Port Jackson, to transport Captain William Lonsdale, his family and public officers to Port Phillip. It was important that a warship of the Imperial Navy be present to reinforce the Governor's power, now delegated to Lonsdale as General Agent of Government. Lonsdale had to establish a new remote settlement that was only accessible by sea, as no overland route existed from Sydney to Port Phillip, as southern New South Wales was a vast forest with large rivers, yet to be explored.