The Southern Whale Fishery Company was formed in Britain and granted a Royal Charter with its founder, Charles Enderby, as the resident chief commissioner and lieutenant governor of the new colony.

[2] Three ships, the Samuel Enderby, Fancy and Brisk from Britain arrived at Port Ross with the intending colonists, prefabricated houses and bricks with which to build chimneys.

They included women and children as well as farm workers, shipwrights, a surgeon, a civil engineer and other people with appropriate skills.

Within three years, special commissioners from the whaling company decided to close the settlement as it was too expensive to maintain.

It was abandoned in August 1852, after a period of two years and nine months during which five weddings, sixteen births and two infant deaths had taken place.