Joseph Lacey signed on with Thomas Peel's Swan River Settlement Scheme and paid 60 pounds each for himself and his wife, and 30 pounds for each son. Had Fremantle Lot 68 in 1830. Conditions were so poor that Joseph and his family set off for Hobart, Van Diemens Land arriving on the 'Eliza' 2 May 1831. He bought a tavern in Hobart (Sandy Bay) where the family lived for some time.