The Mellish is recorded as a British East India Company ship that brought supplies to Australian convict settlements in the early 19th century.

George Ward Cole (1793-1879) joined the British Navy in 1807 and saw service in the West Indies and North America. After retiring in 1817, he began a career in the merchant marine, trading in opium, furs, sandalwood and dealing in pearl fishing. He arrived in Melbourne in 1840 and purchased land on the Yarra River, near Spencer Street. It was here that he built Cole's Wharf. In 1842 he purchased 24 acres on the sea front in Brighton where he erected St. Ninian's. Cole went on to have a successful political career in the Legislative Council.