Ferdinand Mueller’s Alpine Itinerary

Abstract

In the early 1850s, Victoria's newly appointed Government Botanist, Ferdinand Mueller, undertook three remarkable journeys of botanical exploration in the alpine region in the colony's north-east. There has been considerable uncertainty about the route that he followed, especially on his third expedition between November 1854 and March 1855. This paper offers a reconsideration of Mueller's travels in the mountains that takes account of his reports and correspondence, published and unpublished, and also the topography of the region. The conclusions reached have implications for the interpretation of Mueller's collection records from these expeditions. The paper also discusses Mueller's attempt to fix names on various geographical features in the area and suggests why this was unsuccessful.