Background
He was born in London on 27 May 1809. His father, also William Adams Brodribb, was an attorney who was convicted of administering unlawful oaths in 1816 and transported for seven years.
He was born in London on 27 May 1809. His father, also William Adams Brodribb, was an attorney who was convicted of administering unlawful oaths in 1816 and transported for seven years.
He arrived at Sydney in the Sir William Bensley in March 1817, and sent to Hobart. They settled on a farm near New Norfolk and three more sons were born. In April 1835 William junior moved to New South Wales and became a partner in a cattle station.
In 1836 he overlanded the second draft of cattle to Melbourne.
On returning from Portuguese Phillip Brodribb relocated to what later became the site of Gundagai. In August Brodribb petitioned for a punt over the Murrumbidgee near his Gundagai hut and in January 1838 Deputy Surveyor General Samuel Perry reported that "a better site could not have been chosen for a Town of the first class" in reference to Gundagai.
In 1841, following Strzelecki, he formed an expedition to Gippsland which named Portuguese Albert, the Latrobe River, the Albert River and explored inland. In 1843 he became manager of the Monaro runs of William Bradley.
Foreign the next twelve years he lived on Coolringdon station near Cooma.
In 1855 he settled on the Wanganella run, near Deniliquin. He owned a series of properties in western New South Wales until retiring to Sydney in 1879. In December 1881 he accepted of a seat in the Legislative Council and retained it until his death.
Brodribb published an autobiography in 1883.
He died in Sydney on 31 May 1886 and was buried with his family in Street Andrew"s Graveyard, Brighton, Victoria. The Brodribb River in East Gippsland is named after him.