 He transferred to the New South Wales Corps in October 1789 and arrived in Sydney on the Second Fleet ship "Scarborough" in June 1790.Townson spent most of his military service in the colony at Norfolk Island where he was stationed for six years and received a twenty-acre (81,000 m²) lease.In 1794 he was a member of the court of inquiry investigating Lieutenant Governor King's actions during the 1793 mutiny on the island.