William Phillips had been a London attorney and stable coach proprietor before his arrival in Sydney in 1838. He was then aged 38 with a wife and two children. In 1844 he volunteered to join Leichhardt's expedition. He was very retiring and circumspect during the course of the journey. He put forth his best endeavours to assist the party at all times, but he pitched his camp at a distance from the others. His narrative on the expedition is in the Mitchell Library, Sydney, but it has never been published. Mount Phillips, in the Peak Range, Central Queensland, was named by Leichhardt in his honour.
'Phillips, William (1800–?)', People Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/phillips-william-17136/text28955, accessed 1 September 2024.