In 1855, with
Frederick Sinnett, Edgar Ray helped found
Melbourne Punch. The two men combined again in 1858 to establish the
Daily News in Geelong. By 1864, Ray was in Sydney and was the first proprietor of
Sydney Punch. He went on to launch the short-lived
Laughing Jackass magazine in 1867 and to work for
Bell's Life in Sydney in 1868.