In 1841,he sailed to Australia in his sumptuous yacht, The WANDERER with a group of his friends, including the noted artist, Oswald Brierly, who was later knighted . Boyd quickly became the largest land owner in the colony of New South Wales, President of the Pastoralist’s Association, Member of Parliament, shipping magnate, whaler and the instigator of “blackbirding”- the recruitment of natives to overcome labour shortages.
In seven years, he lost the lot and three years later was killed and possibly eaten by Pacific Island natives. Boyd is not well known in Australian history. His name appears occasionally in nomenclature; a National Park near Eden carries his name as does a street that runs down to his former wool washing facility in Neutral Bay, Sydney.
Boydtown, the town he created at Twofold Bay as the centre of his empire and possibly a national capital, is not even graced with a post code and yet 150 years ago was second only to Sydney in mercantile trade.