The Nunawading Messiah aka The Oakleigh Prophet aka James Fisher (nee) Cowley 1832 - 1913

 Unbeknownst to all of us Jesus Christ had, apparently, already made a quick stop-over in the form of a shady AF character named James Fisher.

Who managed to convince people the Son of God had descended into a crop of cabbages and HE WAS TO EAT THEM ALL TO ACQUIRE THE SPIRIT. Stir-fry?

Oddly, he managed to practice polygamy (along with the usual bigamy), having 3 sisters as his wives - WITH THE FULL BLESSING OF THE PARENTS - and broke up the marriage of the 4th sister - again, WITH THE FULL BLESSING OF THEIR PARENTS.

The whole hot mess only came to light when Fisher was taken to Court for NOT ACTUALLY BEING THE MESSIAH because a child died. 

It is valuable to see the methods used by this bloke to winkle money, women, power out of others and into his own control.

There are many well-researched papers on this person, I'm not re-inventing the wheel by repeating it all here; just holding it up, dusting it off and reminding people that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Further reading/Sources -

Australian Dictionary of Biography

Victorian Collections

Fisherite Descendants of Wickipin, WA

James Cowley Morgan (Cowley) Fisher 

New Jerusalem Settlement site 

A Messiah for The West 

The Nunawading Messiah 

The Nunawading Imposter

The Oakleigh Prophet

Baron Joseph De Nosek 1821 - 1894

 Soldiering about, stirring insurrection, Baron Joseph De Nosek found himself in Australia after fighting in the Crimean War.

The little bit of insurrection saw him lose his hereditary estates in Poland, so he turned his hand to gold mining, then in 1869 Baron De Nosek became the President of The Victorian Miners Protection League before settling on the career of a licensed victualler (aka publican) at Campbell's Creek, Victoria.

Further reading -

Baron De Nosek buried at Campbell's Creek Cemetery, Victoria.