Richard Eastwick (Hugo Weaving) is newly arrived from England, a poor young immigrant with no prospects. He’s befriended by a government clerk who invites him to live in the same boarding house.

Mrs Rudd (Alfreda Bevan) tries to welcome Mrs White (Dorothy Dunkley) to her humble home, but Dad Rudd (Bert Bailey) scares her away when he appears in his nightshirt.

Dave (Fred MacDonald) and his new wife Lily (Lilias Adeson) have moved into a newly built shack over the hill from the main house.

Old Carey (Len Budrick) calls in a long-standing debt from Rudd, confiscating his livestock in an attempt to force him to sell a parcel of land.