AustLit

19th-Century Australian Travel Writing

Explorers and brothers Sir Augustus Charles Gregory (1819-1905) and Francis Thomas Gregory (1821-1888) were both members of the Royal Geographical Society. Their work Journals of Australian Explorations was published by the Queensland government as an account of their travels through the colony. The text was geographically motivated and included precise measurements of temperature, time, date, longitude and latitude. The work also incorporated the brothers' journal entries, letters, and a short dictionary of Aboriginal words. According to the Australian Dictionary of Biography this publication is a laconic chronicle that seldom does justice to Sir Augustus Charles Gregory’s many qualities and achievements; aside from his exploration, Augustus Gregory worked as a commissioner, councilor, MLC, and surveyor.