Alfred Hillman was sent out from Britain by Sir George Murray to fill an appointment of draftsman in the Survey Office of Western Australia. He arrived in Perth the 26 April 1831. He filled this role until October 1832, when he was appointed an Assistant Surveyor and posted to Albany to replace Raphael Clint. He was back in Perth by mid 1834, returning to his role as Draftsman, but he also undertook surveying tasks along with the drafting. He explored and surveyed the Perth to Albany Road. He served as Assistant Surveyor, Draftsman and Lithographer. In many of the early plans of Western Australia the work of Hillman and Roe is easily identified. He left the Surveying department in 1863 to become Sheriff and retired in 1873. He died in London.

Description

Six of the earliest drafts of plans of townsites in Western Australia were his work. These plans were for Fremantle, Perth, Kingstown, Guildford, Kelmscott, Albany and Augusta which were all drafted in 1832 and sent to the Colonial Office in London. Here they were kept in the Colonial Office Map Library. On all of these plans he identifies himself as 'Colonial Draftsman'.

These plans remain in the National Archives of the United Kingdom. Copies have been sought for the State Archives of Western Australia. (Sept 2010)

"Western Australian Exploration", Volume 1 1826-1835, p.583 (Principal Editor Joanne Shoobert, Hesperian Press, Perth 2005). Information obtained from Brian Goodchild, Landgate. Perth. 2010

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