The Early Field Naturalists of Geelong

Welcome to another episode of Stories of Geelong, where we explore the people, places and ideas preserved in the Geelong Historical Society’s archives. In this episode, we turn our attention to the early field naturalists of Geelong — the enthusiasts, collectors and explorers whose curiosity helped shape the region’s scientific and environmental understanding.

Our story is drawn from an article by Trevor Pescott, first published in The Investigator in March 2018.  Trevor is one of Geelong’s most respected naturalists and conservation writers, known for his role in re‑establishing the Geelong Field Naturalists Club and for his many books exploring the region’s landscapes and wildlife. 

He is widely regarded as one of the most significant interpreters of Geelong’s natural environment — a writer, observer and advocate whose work has shaped both public understanding and the historical record of the region’s flora, fauna and conservation movement.

This article traces the scattered beginnings of natural history study in the district, from the Mechanics Institute gatherings of the 1840s to the formation of the Geelong Field Naturalists Club in 1880, and the remarkable individuals who drove it forward.

Their work — from seaweed catalogues to bushland rambles, from schoolroom science to major botanical collections — laid foundations that still echo in Geelong’s scientific and educational life today.

Join us as we explore the characters, challenges and quiet triumphs of Geelong’s earliest naturalists.