Robinson was born in London in 1788, and although he received no formal schooling he was a widely read character who followed in his father's footsteps by becoming a builder. Due to a recession he left England, and arrived in Hobart in 1842. There he went into business as a builder and soon prospered.

He soon immersed himself in community and religious activities, and became interested in the fate of the native Aborigines, responding to a newspaper advertisement looking for someone to make contact with the natives.

In 1829 he made contact with the Aborigines on Bruny Island, and by 1830 he was making friendly missions to round up all living Aborigines for their protection. From 1835 Robinson was the commander of the Aboriginal settlement on Flinders Island, but his attempts to convert the natives to European ideas and culture were to fail.

In 1839 he was posted to Port Phillip in an effort to protect the natives from the clamouring of the prospectors and farmers in their struggle for land. The protectorate was abolished in 1849, and Robinson returned to England in 1852. He died in Bath in 1866.

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