Robertson was born in 1808 or 1809 in
Dunachton,
Invernesshire, the son of John Robertson and Mary "May" Robertson (née McBain). He emigrated to Australia, arriving in
Hobart in 1831 and moving to Sydney in 1838 on the
Saint George with his brothers William and Duncan, Duncan's wife Ann and their three children. He and brother William settled on a property they called
Struan Station in
Victoria on the River Wannon in the vicinity of modern
Coleraine and
Merino. It was around then he acquired the nickname "Poorman Robertson", perhaps from his appearance which contrasted sharply with that of Henty, a rival landholder in
Portland, Victoria. In 1852 their elder brother Angus joined them and took over management of
Struan. William settled on another of their properties
Wando Vale, and John moved to Mosquito Creek near Naracoorte, on an area variously known as
Mosquito Plains and
Robertsons Plains, where he built a succession of three homes, culminating in the magnificent
Struan House in 1875. He purchased further land at
Wrattonbully and
Elderslie, totalling over 500,000 ha. Struan House and some 500ha of its original property is now owned by South Australian Department of Agriculture as its regional headquarters. ==Family==