In 1859, he worked his passage to Melbourne, Australia, then going to Ballarat, where he sought out his uncle, mining surveyor Robert Davidson.
Davidson obtained his surveyor's certificate in 1864, and then spent some years surveying farm selections, mines, and roads in northwest Victoria and Gippsland.
Davidson was appointed assistant to the superintending engineer of the Melbourne water supply, Charles Taylor, in April 1873.
[7] He was subsequently appointed superintending engineer "for the outstanding part he had played in expediting repairs and restoring water to Melbourne in three days" by the minister of public works, Sir James Patterson.
Davidson was a tireless and vigilant protector of water catchments, ensuring that any freehold was resumed, subdivision opposed, and forests protected.