P002375 revised AU-VU:EOAS Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation

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 English AACR2 Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules Person created 1997-06-30 human Rosanne Walker and Helen Cohn updated 2025-11-20 human https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P002375b.htm person Gulliver Thomas Allen AACR2 3 March 1848 13 June 1931 Place of Birth Cornwall, United Kingdom Place of Death Townsville, Queensland, Australia Natural history collector Thomas Gulliver was a telegraph officer and natural history collector who came to Victoria with his family as a young boy. He lived in Tasmania in the early 1870s with his siblings Benjamin and Susannah. While there, they engaged in seed collecting, particularly Eucalyptus and Acacia. They also collected plant specimens, largely from Mt Wellington and the Lake St Clair region. In 1873 Thomas moved to Queensland, becoming telegraph line repairer in the Cardwell district. He ultimately became Postmaster at the Townsville Post Office between 1905 and 1911. Wherever he was posted during his long career with the telegraph department, he collected natural history specimens. The fish and birds, notably those from the Norman River area, were examined by Francis de Castelnau and Sylvester Diggles, and the birds displayed in international exhibitions in Sydney and Melbourne in 1879 and 1880. A significant collection of Gulliver's material is held by the Queensland Museum. The fish genus Gulliveria and a number of plant species were named after him. Gulliver owned the property Roseneath near Townsville where he experimented with tropical crops including mangoes. One of most successful varieties bred by Gulliver was "Gulliver's Triumph". For many years he was a regular contributor, under pseudonym Nettapus of natural history notes to local newspapers the Queenslander and the Brisbane courier. The Gullivers had a long connection with Ferdinand von Mueller, the Victorian Government Botanist, with the result that the National Herbarium of Victoria holds over 1,000 of their collections of plants, including bryophytes and lichens. 1856 1856 Life event - Arrived in Melbourne with his family 1869 1869 Career event - Employed in the telegraph office, Townsville c. 1870 c. 1872 Life event - In Tasmania with Benjamin (brother) and Susannah (sister) 1873 1875 Career position - Telegraph line repairer in Cardwell area, Queensland 1875 1877 Career position - Telegraph station master, Normanton, Queensland 1877 1882 Career position - Telegraph station master, Thornborough, Queensland 1882 1896 Career position - Manager, telegraph office, Townsville 1885 1885 Life event - Proposed for membership of the Linnean Society, London 1896 1904 Career position - Officer-in-Charge, telegraph office, Townsville 1904 1904 Career event - Elected to Committee of Management, Bowen Park, Brisbane 1904 1905 Career position - Assistant Manager of telegraphs, Brisbane 1905 1911 Career position - Postmaster, Townsville Post Office 1912 1915 Career position - Member, Thuringowa Shire Council, Queensland Gulliver, Benjamin John (1851 - 1938)

Thomas and Benjamin were brothers

 Gulliver, Susannah (1857 - 1938)

Thomas and Susannah were brother and sister

 Diggles, Silvester (1817 - 1880)

Examined Gulliver's bird collections

 Queensland Museum

The Museum holds a significant number of Gulliver's collections

 National Herbarium of Victoria (1896 - )

The Herbarium holds over 1,000 specimens collected by the Gulliver siblings (Thomas, Benjamin and Susannah)

 Laporte, François Louis (1810 - 1880)

Examined Gulliver's fish collections

 Gulliver, T.A.

Trove

 'Gulliver, Thomas Allen', in Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology Gulliver, Thomas Allen Swinburne University of Technology, Centre for Transformative Innovation Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Journal Article: The Gullivers' Acacia Vale Gardens and Nursery, Townsville: a successful experiment in tropical gardening Dowe, J. L. The Gullivers' Acacia Vale Gardens and Nursery, Townsville: a successful experiment in tropical gardening 2022 Australian Garden History 34 2 12-4 Journal Article: The Gullivers' travels: Thomas Allen Gulliver (1848 - 1931), Benjamin John Gulliver (1851 - 1938) and Susannah Gulliver (1857 - 1938): their contribution to Australian natural history and horticulture Dowe, John Leslie and Short, Philip S. The Gullivers' travels: Thomas Allen Gulliver (1848 - 1931), Benjamin John Gulliver (1851 - 1938) and Susannah Gulliver (1857 - 1938): their contribution to Australian natural history and horticulture 2024 Swainsona 38 45-72 Journal Article: Notes of a collection of birds from the Norman River, Gulf of Carpentaria, with descriptions of some new species Castelnau, le Comte de and Ramsay, E. P. Notes of a collection of birds from the Norman River, Gulf of Carpentaria, with descriptions of some new species 1877 Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 1 379-95 Journal Article: Notes on the fishes of the Norman River Castelnau, Count F. de Notes on the fishes of the Norman River 1878 Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 3 41-51 Journal Article: Australian fishes: new or little known species Castelnau, Count F. de Australian fishes: new or little known species 1878 Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 2 225-48 Australian Botanists - Biographies Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science Australian Botanists - Biographies MS 064 Hunt Institute Biographies. Short biographies, averaging 2 pages, of Australian botanists, botanical collectors or artists. 0.24 m, 3 boxes