Ferdinand von Mueller

3/4/90

It is with regret, dear Mr Barnard, that I find it impossible to make this evening free for any of the three meetings, to which I am invited including that of the Med. Society, on account of pressure of work for the outgoing European mail. I feel honored with being made a member of the Committee of the Field-Naturalists Club for preservation (in apt localities) of the indigenous vegetation and marsupials as well as various birds. I have however held from the commencement of this movement, that we could not possibly induce the Government, to cede so large an area for that purpose as the whole of Wilson's promontory;

1

Vic.

the distance from the metropolis would also be too great for the multitude of the people, to derive an adequate advantage from such reservations. In my opinion our first attention should now be given, that not all the most picturesque vallies get defaced and alienated from the crown. Thus an application might be made to the hon the Minister of Lands at once for withdrawing from selection the best of the Waratah-Vallies in Eastern Gippsland, also all places in which large cataracts or cascades exist.

Prof Spencer and his companions of the E. Gippsland-tour,

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From 28 December 1888 to 20 January 1889 Spencer and four other members of the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria made an expedition to the Croajingalong, Vic., area; see Spencer & French (1889).

made a year ago, would be able to describe these vallies and cascades as regards precise localities , so that the district-surveyors might become instructed, to keep these glorious spots intact, and perhaps some arrangements might be made thus far also, to prevent shooting in these reserved localities. Places at Mt Baw Baw, the Buffalo-Ranges and towards Cape Otway might also be protected.

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The Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria succeeded in their campaign for the reservation of Wilson's Promontory as a national park. A large area was temporarily reserved as a site for a national park in 1898. The greater part of the Promontory was reserved in 1905 and 1908. This was Australia's first national park; see Gillbank (1998).