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Thanks for your info. Have managed to confirm your details supplied.  In 1851 he was working for William Coghill at Glendaruel.  William Coghill, also a shoemaker in his native Scotland, arrived in New South Wales on board the Mangles in 1824, captained by his brother John. In January 1838, William and two of his sons, David aged 23 and William aged 16, travelled from the Monaro Plains, to the Port Phillip District with John Stuart Hepburn and 2000 sheep. It turns out that it may well be that George wasn’t there long as further mention in Hepburn’s diary show finds of gold at Creswick's Creek on Clunes Station, in July, 1851, at Buninyong in August, and at Ballarat and Mt. Alexander in September. There is a distinct note of regret and bewilderment in the diary. "Short of hands and no likelihood of getting any more." Another entry follows: "Many thousands of men passing during this week to the gold diggings at Mt. Alexander . . . counted ... 59 carts and 1.149 men between Mr. Campbell's station and this ... 17 miles . . ."  A new era had begun.

I found further evidence of George at Horsham when he was one of a number of signatories calling for James McBain to be nominated for the representation of this district in the Legislative Assemby.   
All goes quite for another 10 years when in 1874 George Wesley has a Section 49 license approved for 20 acres at Yallakar, near Edenhope in the Wimmera area.   Section 49 of the Land Act 1869 allowed the granting of a license for the occupation of auriferous (gold-bearing) land for a period of one year at a time. The amount of land was to be no more than 20 acres with an individual being permitted to hold one licence only. The fees were to be set by regulation.
This does not appear to have resulted in George finding his riches in gold as in October 1876, George applied to the local land board at Casterton for an extension of time to complete his improvements on his holding.  Two months later the land board recommended that his license be cancelled, the land to be sold by auction; upset price of £2 per acre and all improvements forfeited. 

Unfortunately I have not been able to locate a death yet or whether he managed to contact his brother in 1855.

Thanks again for your input.
Regards
Lyn

Thanks for that further information.  Much appreciated.  I'll study the living/working conditions around the census times to see what I can overcover.

Hi,
Yes, this is the same information I came up with.  Just seemed a bit weird that ten years later he was farming 20 acres with 1 man and 2 boys.  Thanks for your response.

In the 1841 census my ancestor, David Evans occupation is shown as "Racker".  There are a few males with this occupation.  Can anyone give me an idea of what this was.
In the 1851 census, he is listed as a farmer.
Appreciate any insights.
Lyn

Hi JM,

Thanks for all that.  I agree that the information uncovered in the Gazettes so far for the Darling Downs refer to the convict George Wesley of the Randolph and not my George Westley of the Thomas Arbuthnot.  Guess I will just keep turning over stones until I get a hit.

It is a bit weird the George Westley's brother John in Tasmania changed his surname from Westley to Wesley on his marriage once he was a free man.

Again many thanks for your input.
Regards
Lyn