In 1849 William Fairhall arrived in Adelaide from England on board the "Harpley", then travelled on to Melbourne. He married Susannah Trotman, and they emigrated to New Zealand in 1855.
The family grew up on the west coast of the South Island, around the town of Greymouth.
Current research points to the possibility that William's brother was John Fairhall, who is the Australian pioneer of the Victorian Fairhall family - but this is still being investigated.