Gulliver, Benjamin John (1851 - 1938)

Summary

Benjamin Gulliver arrived in Victoria as a young boy and was employed at the Melbourne Botanic Garden from 1866. He was chosen by the Director of the Garden, Ferdinand Mueller, as botanical collector to join Francis Cadell's expedition to the Northern Territory, the main object being to investigate country suitable for agriculture. Most of the plant collections made by Gulliver on the expedition came from the area around the base camp on the Liverpool River. In c.1870 he moved to Hobart where he established a business collecting and selling seed, particularly Eucalyptus and Acacia. He was joined in Hobart by his siblings Thomas and Susannah. Between them, they made nearly 600 plant collections around Hobart, particularly from Mt Wellington, and in the Lake St Clair region. In 1882 Benjamin moved to Townsville, Queensland, where Thomas had settled. Benjamin established a nursery business, Acacia Vale, supplying fruit and vegetables to residents of the town. A family affair, the business was mainly the work of Benjamin, although he was joined by Susannah (who specialised in floristry), some of his children and, at times, Thomas. The Gullivers had a long connection with Ferdinand Mueller, with the result that the National Herbarium of Victoria holds over 1,000 of their collections of plants, including bryophytes and lichens.

Details

Chronology

1856

Life event - Arrived in Melbourne with his family

1866

Career event - Employed as a Garden Boy, Melbourne Botanic Garden

1867 - 1868

Career position - Botanical collector on Francis Cadell's expedition to the Northern Territory

1870

Career event - Elected as member, Victorian Horticultural Improvement Society

1870?

Life event - Moved to Tasmania

1882

Career event - Established Acacia Vale plant nursery in Townsville

Related entries

Published resources

Journal Articles

• Dowe, John Leslie and Short, Philip S., 'The Gullivers' travels: Thomas Allen Gulliver (1848 - 1931), Benjamin John Gulliver (1851 - 1938) and Susannah Gulliver (1857 - 1938): their contribution to Australian natural history and horticulture', Swainsona, 38 (2024), 45-72, https://data.environment.sa.gov.au/Content/Publications/JABG38P045_Dowe.pdf. Details