The Blackberry Baron.
Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob
Heinrich von Mueller
It’s well
documented that the name “The Basin” was originally coined by Baron Ferdinand von Mueller during
a botany exploration of the area in 1853. It was named for the depression that
you can see from the roundabout looking towards the old Salvation Army Boys
home. There seems to be a pre-ordained system involving flora related naming
structure when it comes to our local suburbs. The Basin was named by a
botanist, while Boronia was named after a flower named by a botanist as a
tribute to another botanist. Anyway.
Mister von Mueller was quite the over achiever. He was a German immigrant who
was a chemist He had a passion for exploring and botany and was continuing expanding
his knowledge of the land he had
adopted. In 1853 he was appointed
government botanist for Victoria, and was the reason why he was in the
Dandenongs naming future suburbs. Von Mueller was a keen explorer with an
inquiring mind and also supported many expeditions by others. Notably Bourke
& Wills. He became a member of many societies’ culminating in his
acceptance into the prestigious Royal Society in England. In his distinguished career he became director
of the Royal Botanical Gardens in Melbourne, obtained a medical degree, was
awarded a knighthood and a in 1871 has given a title for services in science by
King Karl of Württemberg Germany. Making his full title Baron Sir
Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller.
He was also a
keen and practising member of the Victorian Acclimatisation Society. You
might be wondering what this group where responsible for? Well, for example, it
was one member Thomas Austin of Barwon Park, who introduced rabbits. He
released 13 wild rabbits on his farm in 1859 and we now have an estimated 150
million. Another Charles Macarthur, of Launceston, introduced the English carp.
All in the
interest of making Australia a bit more like the “old country”. von Mueller was also keen on the idea,
especially in his chosen field. He introduced blackberries from 1858,
cultivating them at the Melbourne Botanic Gardens and scattering their seeds in
the bush, thinking they would provide food for settlers. He also did this with
melons, cabbage & pumpkins. But you’d have to agree the blackberries win on
the invasive plant premiership table for the most evasive and destructive to
the point where it is virtually ineradicable and is the curse of farmer’s and
household gardeners everywhere.
So, if someone
asks who named The Basin and you can’t remember von Mueller with his endless
titles and Christian names just say it’s the guy responsible for the
blackberries everywhere.
originally published in the BBCN Issue 360
