Francis Thomas "Frank" Gregory (19 October 1821 – 23 October 1888) was an Australian explorer and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

. Born in England, he emigrated with his family to Australia as a boy. He was the younger brother of the explorer and politician

Augustus Gregory Sir Augustus Charles Gregory (1 August 1819 – 25 June 1905) was an English-born Australian explorer and surveyor. Between 1846 and 1858 he undertook four major expeditions. He was the first Surveyor-General of Queensland. He was appointed a ...

, who also made his career in the colony.

Biography

Gregory was born at Farnsfield,

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in 1821. His family, including his older brother Augustus, emigrated to

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

in 1829. After getting a basic education, Gregory entered the Western Australian public service in 1841 as a cadet surveyor. In 1846, Gregory accompanied his older brother

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pri ...

and explorer Henry Churchman, to investigate the country north of

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

. The following year, Gregory was appointed an assistant government surveyor; two years later he was promoted to staff surveyor in 1849. In 1857 he led expeditions to the upper Murchison River, and to country farther east and north in 1858. The next year Gregory visited England, to lobby the British government for funding towards exploration of

North-West Australia The North West, North West Coast, North Western Australia and North West Australia, are usually informal names for the northern regions of the State of Western Australia. However, some conceptions of "North West Australia" have included adjoi ...

. Gregory believed that the region might support grazing and/or plantation agriculture, based on the use of

indentured labour Indentured servitude is a form of labor in which a person is contracted to work without salary for a specific number of years. The contract, called an "indenture", may be entered "voluntarily" for purported eventual compensation or debt repayment, ...

from Asia. In 1860, the

Government of Western Australia The Government of Western Australia, formally referred to as His Majesty's Government of Western Australia, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of Western Australia. It is also commonly referred to as the WA Government o ...

put Gregory in charge of a proposed expedition to explore the interior around

Nickol Bay Nickol Bay is a bay between the Burrup Peninsula and Dixon Island, on the Pilbara coast in Western Australia. Once alternatively spelled "Nicol Bay", it was named by John Septimus Roe for a sailor who was lost overboard during an expedition. ...

. The southwestern part of this region was later known as the

Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Aboriginal peoples; its ancient landscapes; the red earth; and its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore. It is also a glo ...

. The British government provided £2,000 towards expenses. The expedition left

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

on 23 April 1861. Four days later, at

Champion Bay Champion Bay is a coastal feature north of Geraldton, Western Australia, facing the port and city between Point Moore and Bluff Point. Champion Bay was named by Lieutenant John Lort Stokes of , who surveyed the area in April 1840. He named ...

(later

Geraldton Geraldton (Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West region of the Australian state of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth. At June 2018, Geraldton had an urban population of 37,648. ...

), Gregory was joined by three volunteers, making a party of nine. They completed the landing of the horses near the

Harding River The Harding River is a river in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. It was named on 31 July 1861 by the surveyor and explorer Francis Gregory while on expedition in the area, after one of the volunteer members of his expedition, John Hard ...

on 24 May, and started inland the following day. After reaching the

Fortescue River The Fortescue River is an ephemeral river in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. It is the third longest river in the state. Course The river rises near Deadman Hill in the Ophthalmia Range about 30 km south of Newman. The river flo ...

, the expedition followed it for several days, before turning to the south-west and following the

Hardey River The Hardey River is a river in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The headwaters of the river rise at Tom Price in the Hamersley Range and flow in a westerly direction. The river travels almost parallel with the Nanutarra- Wittenoom Roa ...

. On 25 June, having reached latitude 23° 56' south, they sought to retrace their steps and reached their landing place on the coast on 19 July. On 29 July, they commenced a second foray, north and east of the previous track. Gregory returned with his party on 17 October and the expedition returned to Perth, which it reached on 9 November 1861. Gregory reported that he had seen between two and three million acres (1.2 million hectares) of land suitable for grazing. He also drew attention to the possibility of a

pearl A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is composed of calcium carb ...

ing industry being established. As a result of the expedition to Nickol Bay, Gregory was awarded the Gold Medal of the

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

(1863). In 1862 Gregory moved to

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, where his brother Augustus was already prominent as an explorer and official. Francis Gregory was appointed as a Commissioner of Crown Lands. He married Marion Hume in 1865, the sister of his surveying friend and protégé, Walter C. Hume. From 1874, he was elected and served as a member of the

Queensland Legislative Council The Queensland Legislative Council was the upper house of the parliament in the Australian state of Queensland. It was a fully nominated body which first took office on 1 May 1860. It was abolished by the Constitution Amendment Act 1921, which to ...

. For a short period during 1883, he served as the appointed

Postmaster-General A Postmaster General, in Anglosphere countries, is the chief executive officer of the postal service of that country, a Ministry (government department), ministerial office responsible for overseeing all other postmasters. The practice of having ...

of Queensland.

Death and legacy

Gregory died at

Toowoomba Toowoomba ( , nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar') is a city in the Toowoomba Region of the Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia. It is west of Queensland's capital city Brisbane by road. The urban population of Toowoomba as of the 2021 C ...

on 23 October 1888 and was buried in

Drayton and Toowoomba Cemetery Drayton and Toowoomba Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery at the corner of South Street and Anzac Avenue, Harristown, Queensland, Australia. It was surveyed in May 1850, and is one of the earliest surviving cemeteries in Queensland. The cem ...

.Cemeteries Online
—

Toowoomba Regional Council The Toowoomba Region is a local government area located in the Darling Downs part of Queensland, Australia. Established in 2008, it was preceded by several previous local government areas with histories extending back to the early 1900s and beyo ...

. Retrieved 19 February 2015. The exploration journals and records of Augustus and Francis Gregory were published in 1884 by the Queensland government as ''Journals of Australian Explorations.'' StateLibQld 1 154555 Harlaxton in Toowoomba, Queensland, ca

StateLibQld 1 154555 Harlaxton in Toowoomba, Queensland, ca

His Toowoomba home,

Harlaxton House Harlaxton House is a heritage-listed villa at 6 Munro Street, Harlaxton, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1869 to 1870 to 1910s circa. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992. History Harlaxton House is ...

, is listed on the

Queensland Heritage Register The Queensland Heritage Register is a heritage register, a statutory list of places in Queensland, Australia that are protected by Queensland legislation, the Queensland Heritage Act 1992. It is maintained by the Queensland Heritage Council. As a ...

. ''Acacia gregorii'', also known as Gregory's wattle, was collected in the Pilbara during the 1861 expedition, and is named in his honour.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gregory, Francis Thomas Settlers of Western Australia Australian explorers Explorers of Western Australia 1821 births 1888 deaths Australian people of English descent Members of the Queensland Legislative Council Burials in Drayton and Toowoomba Cemetery 19th-century Australian politicians

Biography

Death and legacy

See also

References

Further reading

External links