[4]William and his wife Caroline returned to Australia in late 1864 to discover that while they were away their property in Broad Sound, Glen Prairie, had been sold under mysterious circumstances.

In 1869, after years of drought and with facing increasing debt, Landsborough finally handed over his shareholdings in the company to Morehead and Young.

Looking for employment, towards the end of 1865 he was appointed Commissioner of Crown Lands, Police Magistrate and Sub Collector of Customs for the district of Burke in the Gulf country.

[6] In 1882, the Queensland parliament voted Landsborough £2000 for his services as an explorer, and with this he purchased a pastoral property near present-day Caloundra which he named Loch Lamerough.

As a result, there are numerous places named after Landsborough, including: as well as a number of streets, creeks and mountains in Australia and also in New Zealand.