He arrived in South Australia in late 1853.[2] In February 1855 he was appointed engineer to the Adelaide and Gawler Railway Commissions, overseeing the construction of the line to Gawler and its extension to Kapunda (completed 1860),[3] also to the Adelaide and Port Adelaide Railway. He was appointed chairman and engineer of the Railway Commission in 1857 and resigned early 1859,[4] to be replaced by James Hill.
In October 1859, he was appointed engineer-in-chief of South Australian Railways, then in December 1860 he was appointed Engineer, Colonial Architect, and Inspector of Railways; and in June, 1865, he was made acting manager of Railways after the sacking of C. S. Hare, but retired in 1867 as his health deteriorated, and he lived with relatives at Walkerville and Parkin Street, Glenelg, which was where he died.[5]
He was involved in the design and construction of the Thornden Park reservoir and its reticulation (piped network) to the city. He oversaw the completion of the Granite Island jetty. He recommended against building locks on the Port River and against selling the railways to a private company. He investigated the failure of the Torrens weir in 1859.[6]
He became a member of the Adelaide Philosophical Society in 1865.
He was a director of the Provincial Gas Company of South Australia.