Cape Webster was born in the Township of Otley, West Yorkshire in 1832.
In 1841, the family moved to Liverpool and in 1848, the young Cape Webster commenced Indenture of Apprenticeship to the “Profession of Engineering and Surveying” under James Newlands, the first Borough Engineer in the United Kingdom.
James Newlands is credited with designing and implementing the first integrated sewerage system in the world.
By 1853, Cape Webster has no surviving close relatives in England and together with work colleague James Carrathers, the two young men booked a passage to Australia on the SS Albinus, setting sail from Liverpool on 23rd April 1853.
When they reached Australia, they made their way to Ballarat where Cape found employment as a Draughtsman with the Victorian Lands Department.
By 1855, Cape Webster was Assistant Surveyor carrying vast surveys for land development in the Ballarat district. Some of these surveys covered up to 30,000 acres and his original field books can be viewed at the Public Records Office.
Townships he surveyed included Linton, Smiths Gully, Beaufort and part of the Townships Eltham, Diamond Creek, Avoca, Braybrook and Carlton.
In 1865, Cape Webster was appointed Land Officer for the Ararat District where he stayed until 1869 and from 1873 to 1875 has held the position of Shire Engineer at Yackandandah.
Returning to Melbourne in the late 1870s he was appointed to the working group for the Melbourne International Exhibition that was held from 1 October 1880 until 30 April 1881. One of his duties was to prepare the floor layout showing location of display area for participating countries.
In the late 1880’s Cape Webster moved to the developing area of South Gippsland where his Civil Engineering experience was used for the draining of the Tarwin River flats for farming and he also selected land in the district for his children, some of which remains in the Webster family to this day.
He continued with his Land Surveying with the last known plan he signed being 23 February 1909.
Cape Webster’s contribution to surveying in the State of Victoria spanned more than 50 years.
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