Phillips joined the Roads Department in 1862 and in 1863 shifted to the Lands Department. He accompanied
William Landsborough to
Burketown in 1866 explored west of
Bowen and discovered and named the
Diamantina River. Landsborough and Phillips founded
Normanton, he surveyed the town in 1867. In 1868 he became Staff Surveyor of Kennedy, surveying the towns of Bowen,
Townsville,
Cardwell,
Ingham and
Mackay. Whilst in Bowen, George lodged at the Victoria Hotel, John Bourner was the licensee. He married Elizabeth Susan Bourner in Bowen on 6 February 1871. In 1879 he joined
Queensland Rail as Inspector of Surveys in the Southern Division. His passion for extending railways throughout Queensland resulted in Phillips inventing and patenting in 1884 the steel railway sleeper that could be used in the
Gulf Country where floods and termites made normal railway track infeasible. These sleepers are still in use on the
Normanton to Croydon railway line. In 1886 he resigned from Queensland Rail and established his own practice. In 1895 he inspected the planned
Cairns to Mulgrave tramway. In 1896 he was appointed Inspector of Artesian Bores. During 1902 and 1903 he supervised construction of the
Beaudesert Tramway. In 1904 he became a member of the Brisbane Board of Waterworks and 1905 President of the Queensland Institute of Surveyors. In 1909 he returned to the Gulf Country at the Government’s request to report on railways and ports. During 1910 and 1911 he surveyed and engineered the
Belmont Tramway. During 1911 to 1913 he supervised construction of the
Aramac Tramway. In 1914 he was engineer for the
Palmwoods - Buderim Tramway. In later years he advocated using sources of water on
Stradbroke Island for Brisbane supply, writing a book on flood mitigation in the
Brisbane River. These are some of his accomplishments there are numerous others, including laying out
Toowong Cemetery. He was described as “a man of great ability, and of high professional reputation, but always ready for a chat or a joke and never failing when information was required". == Political career ==