George Bain Johnston was born at
Cockenzie, in the county of
Haddington, Scotland, and was educated at Steel's Hospital in the parish of
Tranent. At the age of 15 he served an apprenticeship on the schooner
Mary Donaldson, under Captain James Donaldson, in the employ of Captain Hew (or Hugh) Francis Cadell (c. 1790 – 27 April 1873). He was one of a group of Scotsmen who left Scotland in 1853 as one of the crew of the
Lioness, a small River Mersey steamer of 70 tons register, which was purchased by Cadell to be used for towing purposes in
Port Melbourne. The vessel was rigged as a three-masted schooner in Scotland and sailed out to
Melbourne. Other members of the crew of the
Lioness, all associated with the opening of the
Murray, were James Ritchie, Thomas Johnston, John Barclay, John McDonald, William Barker and John Ritchie. The four first named returned to Scotland for Captain Cadell in December 1853 in the
Admiral, returning to Australia in 1854 in the brig
Lady Emma, with the river steamers
Gundagai and
Albury in sections as freight. These vessels were assembled at Port Adelaide, and steamed through the Murray mouth. On 18 October 1857, the wives of these gentlemen left Scotland in the sailing ship
Planter, arriving in Melbourne on 12 January 1858. The first vessel to come alongside to welcome these lady pioneers was the
Lioness, the little craft that had left Scotland four years previously with the husbands of all the members of the party. These ladies had booked their passages in the
Great Britain, but prior to sailing this vessel was commandeered by the British authorities for service as a troop ship in connection with the Indian mutiny. Johnston joined the rush to the gold diggings at
Forest Creek and in 1853 joined Hew's son Captain
Francis Cadell, the River Murray pioneer, and moved to
Goolwa, where in 1857 he purchased a plot of land in "Little Scotland" and built a substantial dwelling "Cockenzie House". His first expedition was to take a survey of the
Murray from
Wentworth downwards in a small boat – the
Quiz – recording obstacles that lay in the river. His next trip was with Captain Cadell in the steamer
Lady Augusta. In 1855 he was appointed captain of the steamer
Albury, and was the first to reach the town of
Albury. The residents celebrated his arrival with a banquet and presented him with a purse of one hundred sovereigns, with which a suitable cup was bought and engraved to commemorate the occasion. After continuing in this trade for some years he joined Charles Murphy as "Johnston & Murphy", and purchased the
Moolgewanke (the boat with which he explored the Edward River, and which came to a terrible end) from Cadell, and soon afterwards the
Albury. They prospered and became substantial steamboat proprietors and traders on the Murray and its tributaries. In 1862 they built the stern-wheeler
Maranoa. In 1863 Capt. Johnston returned to Scotland to superintend the building of a paddle steamer, the
Murray, which was brought out under canvas by
Richard Barry, Capt. Johnston returning via Melbourne. This boat proved unsuitable, and was sold to
Gippsland Lakes traders. In 1873 the partnership was dissolved, and Capt. Johnston traded alone. In 1877 he again returned to his homeland to build a suitable steamer – the well-known
Queen of the South which did good service during the busy season of 1878–1879. On his arrival at Goolwa he was presented with a handsome silver
epergne. Another large steamer was built at Goolwa, the
Cadell, the engines of which were brought from Scotland in the
Queen of the South. Johnston then constructed his last vessel, the
Monarch, said to have the largest carrying capacity of any boat on the rivers. During the last few years business was carried on in partnership with Mr. Kirkpatrick of
Wilcannia as Geo. Johnston & Co. He died at
Queenstown, New Zealand, where he had travelled in the hope of respite after a considerable period of ill health. His body was returned to Australia in a lead coffin and interred at
Currency Creek, South Australia ==Character==