P000052 revised AU-VU:EOAS Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation

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 English AACR2 Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules Person created 1993-10-20 human McCarthy, G.J. updated 2026-03-31 human https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P000052b.htm person Giles William Ernest Powell AACR2 20 July 1835 13 November 1897 Place of Birth Bristol, England Place of Death Coolgardie, Western Australia, Australia Explorer Ernest Giles was an explorer who travelled through western New South Wales from 1861 to 1865 (to assess its pastoral uses) and across large tracts of central Australia from 1872 to 1876. His first trip to central Australia in 1872 was partly sponsored by Ferdinand Mueller, Victorian Government Botanist. Much to Giles' dismay the party turned back once they reached the inaccessible Missionaries' Plain. Lack of water was one factor in the fate of this and Giles's next two expeditions. During his third attempt to go deeper into the desert, one of his co-explorers died and the Gibson's Desert was named in his memory. Finally in 1875, with camels for transport, Giles achieved his long-term goal of crossing from South Australia (Beltana) to Western Australia (Perth). He took a different route on the return trip and passed through Murchison, the Gibson's Desert and Rawlinson Ranges. On this expedition, William Tietkens was second-in-command, as he had been for the 1873 expedition, while Jess Young was naturalist. Giles eventually returned to Victoria, working as a land classifier then moved to Coolgardie in Western Australia where he was a clerk in the warden's office. Giles published several works detailing his travels across Australia and was made a knight of the crown of Italy and an honorary member of many Continental societies. His biggest award was receiving a Fellowship and Gold medal from the Royal Geographical Society in London. The National Herbarium of Victoria holds over 700 specimens collected by Giles. 1850 1850 Life event - Migrated to Australia (Adelaide) 1852 1852 Career position - Moved to Victoria to work the goldfields 1861 1865 Career position - Pastoral land explorations of western New South Wales 1872 1874 Career position - Leader of three exploring expeditions in Central Australia 1875 1876 Career position - Leader of expedition crossing from South Australia to Western Australia and back 1877 1877 Taxonomy event - Collector of the type Eucalyptus rameliana F. Muell. 1877 1879 Career position - Land Classifier in the Western District of Victoria 1880 1880 Award - Fellow and Gold Medallist of the Royal Geographical Society, London 1934 1934 Taxonomy event - Collector of the type Eucalyptus sessilis (Maiden) Blakely Young, Jess (1852 - 1909)

Naturalist on Giles's fourth expedition in Central Australia 1875

 National Herbarium of Victoria (1896 - )

The Herbarium holds over 700 specimens collected by Giles

 Tietkens, William Henry (1844 - 1933)

Second-in-command of Giles's exploring expeditions of 1873 and 1875 - 1876

 Mueller, Ferdinand Jakob Heinrich von (1825 - 1896)

Co-sponsor of Giles's expeditions of 1872 and 1873

Wikidata

VIAF - Virtual International Authority File

 Giles, Ernest (1835-1897)

Trove

 'Giles, William Ernest Powell (Ernest)', in Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology Giles, William Ernest Powell (Ernest) Swinburne University of Technology, Centre for Transformative Innovation Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Book: Ernest Giles Green, L. Ernest Giles Melbourne Oxford University Press 1963 Book: On the Burke and Wills Track: the Giles inscription Dow, E. B. On the Burke and Wills Track: the Giles inscription Broken Hill 1937 Book Section: Giles, Ernest (1835-1897), explorer Green, Louis Giles, Ernest (1835-1897), explorer Melbourne Melbourne University Press 1972 Australian dictionary of biography, volume 4: 1851 - 1890 D-J Douglas Pike 246-247 Edited Book: The journal of a forgotten expedition in 1875 Giles, Ernest The journal of a forgotten expedition in 1875 Adelaide W.K. Thomas &​ Co 1880 Book: Geographical Travels in Central Australia from 1872 to 1874 Giles, Ernest Geographical Travels in Central Australia from 1872 to 1874 Melbourne M'Carron, Bird & Co. 1875 Book: Diary of explorations of Mr Ernest Giles on Central Australia 1872 Giles, Ernest Diary of explorations of Mr Ernest Giles on Central Australia 1872 Adelaide Sullivan’s Cove 1986 Edited Book: Explorers routes revisited : Giles 1875 expedition Brooker, Leslehy Explorers routes revisited : Giles 1875 expedition Carlisle, W.A. Hesperian Press 2015 Journal Article: A Voss among explorers: the career of Ernest Giles Green, Louis A Voss among explorers: the career of Ernest Giles 1963 Quadrant 7 3 17-35 Journal Article: Retracing history through herbarium specimens Milne, Pina Retracing history through herbarium specimens 2020 Studies in Western Australian history 35 75-87 Journal Article: Recent Journey of Exploration Across the Continent of Australia Young, J. Recent Journey of Exploration Across the Continent of Australia 1878 Journal of the American Geographical Society 10 116-41 Book: Australia twice traversed : the romance of exploration, being a narrative compiled from the journals of five exploring expeditions into and through Central South Australia, and Western Australia, from 1872 to 1876 Giles, Ernest Australia twice traversed : the romance of exploration, being a narrative compiled from the journals of five exploring expeditions into and through Central South Australia, and Western Australia, from 1872 to 1876 London Sampson Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington 1889 Book: The discovery and exploration of Australia Feeken, Erwin H. J.; Feeken, Gerda E. E.; and Spate, O. H. K. The discovery and exploration of Australia Melbourne Thomas Nelson (Australia) 1970 Resource: Australian Plant Collectors and Illustrators Fagg, Murray Australian Plant Collectors and Illustrators Council of Heads of Australian Herbaria (CHAH) 2010