During the past year the locality had been isolated by high waters for about six months, "and no one approached it unless obliged to do so by urgent necessity". In late October 1861 the steamer Albury towed "a large punt" to the new township. The punt was being re-located from Deniliquin and belonged to Frank Johns and his partner William Platt. Johns and his family had moved to Maude and began to operate the punt at the locality soon after its arrival. Frank Johns was a carpenter by trade and began to erect a hotel at Maude in conjunction with his working punt. The hotel was completed in November 1862. Johns applied to the Bench of Magistrates at Hay for a publican's licence, but the application was opposed by the local squatter and magistrate, Thomas D’Archy, because "there were no police at Maude". After the delay of a month, however, the licence for the Maude Punt Hotel was granted on the promise of police protection being provided within three months (although by the end of 1863 there was still no permanent police presence at Maude). In late 1862 it was reported that a store was to be erected at Maude and that "a numerously signed petition" had been forwarded to the Minister of Lands "requesting that some land may be at once put up for sale at Maude, as some parties are desirous of settling there". The writer was somewhat puzzled by this: in addition to the locality being "sometimes encircled with flooded ground" he claimed that the "amount of traffic passing is very small indeed, and there is no immediate prospect of any increase". The correspondent concluded: "There however seems to be no reason why the Government should not offer some land for sale at Maude, and so afford persons an opportunity of settling down there and making their fortunes if they can". A post-office was established at Maude on 1 May 1863. The first post-master was probably Henry Prendergast, who, in conjunction with his son John had established a store at the township. In October 1863 Maude was designated as a place for the holding of Courts of Petty Sessions. By the end of the year the New South Wales Government had still not organised a land-sale at the township, despite frequent requests to this end by residents. The correspondent to the Sydney Morning Herald commented that "the