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Ferdinand von Mueller

Botanist

The botanist Baron Ferdinand von Mueller (1825-1896) was born in Germany and graduated as a doctor of philosophy from Kiel University in 1847. Later that year Mueller migrated to South Australia.
In 1853 he was appointed Victoria's first government botanist. He would keep this position until his death in 1896.

North West Australia Expedition

He was commissioned as a botanist for the North West Australia Expedition (1855-56) which traveled 5,000 miles over land from Victoria River in the north-west to Moreton Bay.
Ferdinand Mueller also made many personal explorations throughout Victoria to document the flora.

Botanical Gardens

In 1857 he became the first director of the Botanical Gardens in Melbourne, where he established the herbarium.
Ferdinand Mueller contributed to many fields of science including geography, pharmacy, medicine, horticulture, agriculture, forestry, paleontology and zoology, but his major field of endeavor was botany.