Introduction: Looking again at William Blandowski

Abstract

THE 150th Anniversary of William Blandowski’s 1856-57 expedition to the Murray River provided the opportunity for the Royal Society of Victoria to hold a symposium to reassess the significance of Blandowski’s life and career before, during and after his time in Australia. Despite Blandowski’s significant role in the early years of the Royal Society, few of its members had heard of Blandowski and even fewer knew of his work as an artist and naturalist. This was part of the impetus behind the symposium. Another was to make information on the Murray River expedition available to residents of northwest Victoria and southwest New South Wales, the area where most of its collecting took place.