Of John's early years in Australia, almost nothing has been discovered yet.  By 1859, the family were living in the Hunter River district of New South Wales.  We do not know why they left South Australia, although it has been suggested that conditions in South Australia were not as promised by the immigration agents in England.  Jobs were not available for immigrants, and living conditions in Adelaide at that time were poor. This is, however, conjecture and we do not know the Young/Eastment's true reasons for travelling to New South Wales or when they made the move.  At Maitland, John was apprenticed to the blacksmithing trade, but did not complete the apprenticeship.  Instead he was involved in the carrying trade between Maitland, Armidale and Tamworth.

Mary Eastment was married on 12 July, 1859 at Hinton in the Hunter Valley, to John Partridge and on 22 May, 1860 John was married at Holy Trinity Church, Lochinvar, Hunter Valley, New South Wales, to Salome Whitney.  John was 21 years old at the time, and Salome was 16.   Salome was born on 8 August, 1843 in the village of Chicheley, Buckinghamshire, England, the oldest child and only daughter of James and Ann (nee Brooks) Whitney.  The Whitney family emigrated to Australia in 1848 on board the vessel "Walmer Castle".  (The photograph shows Holy Trinity Church, Lochinvar, built in 1890.  This church stands on the same site and has the same name as the church in which John and Salome were married).
 

For the next few years John and Salome lived in rural New South Wales, apparently gradually heading north along the coast..  The birth of their first child, Ann Elizabeth, was registered at Morpeth in the Hunter Valley in 1861.    The next two children, Edward James (born 1864) and John William (born 1866) do not appear to have been registered, suggesting that the family was perhaps living in isolated areas at those times.  During this period he apparently owned a horse team and again took up the carrying business, basing himself in Grafton, and carrying merchandise from Lawrence to Glen Innes and Tenterfield.

In 1866, John Eastment acquired land at Wyrallah on the Richmond River where he settled.