[2] In 1846, Campbell set out from the Macarthurs' stud farm at Camden, New South Wales, with 150 merinos, and overlanded to the Port Phillip District, searching for fresh pasture.
[3] Campbell had previously advocated for the imposition of licences on the Mount Alexander goldfield, advising the Colonial Secretary that the miners were faring well and could easily afford to pay the fee.
[3] However, Campbell's opponents in the Council sought to use the reward against him, and he was only given around £500, which he divided between the workers who had been with him at the time of the discovery, and various charities.
[2] Campbell ultimately left Australia in 1882, moving to England, though still retaining his substantial Australian holdings which were managed by Melbourne merchant James Graham.
[2] Before leaving, Campbell published a final address to his constituents in North West Province, railing against the land tax, arguing that it would result in a decline in the property market and would discourage investment in the colony; he also criticised the democratic reforms which in his view had led to the imposition of the tax, including the removal of the property qualification for the Victorian Legislative Assembly and the introduction of payments to members of parliament.