Australian History
Book Details

Clearings

Six Colonial Gardeners and Their Landscapes

Paul Fox

A collection of beautifully illustrated stories of six colonial gardeners and their making of the Australian landscape.

About this Title

When Europeans settled the Australian colonies they saw beyond the wilderness of the bush to the possibilities of an ideal landscape. But first the land had to be cleared. And to make a clearing in the colonies was to erase what existed in nature and replace it with something new.

In Clearings, Paul Fox tells the stories of six colonial gardeners and their making of the Australian landscape. These are tales of strong characters and determination. Sir William Macarthur, the colonial gentleman, took pride in besting a great London nursery. The passionate and energetic nurseryman, Thomas Lang, imported over a million plants into the country. Daniel Bunce, a man of ‘uncertain reputation’ lived on the edge of society and came to understand something of how Aboriginal people saw their country. William Guilfoyle combined his pioneering experience with the aesthetics of gardening design and a grand vision to create the magic of the Melbourne Botanic Gardens. Josiah Mitchell championed new farming practices through his journalism and lecturing. A gardener, William Ferguson, became a forester but could only conceive of a forest in European terms.

The individual stories reveal the nuances in the history of nineteenth-century botany, horticulture and plant collecting. Through the nursery, the botanic garden, the farm and the forest the colonial landscape was transformed. Using the gardeners’ writings and a range of beautiful illustrations, including garden plans, botanic illustrations and photographs from the period, Paul Fox evocatively charts the progress of these gardeners as they made the clearings we still inhabit.

About the Author

Paul Fox has a background in both history and landscape architecture. As a recipient of Museum Victoria's Thomas Ramsay Scholarship he studied the history of the culture of collecting. His extensive writings include articles on the history of Melbourne's cultural institutions, photography, the colonial frontier, and gardening. He is an honorary fellow of the Australian Centre at the University of Melbourne and a member of the Landscape Advisory Sub-Committee of Heritage Council Victoria.

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978-0-522-85198-4