Harold Hall Australian Expeditions

The Harold Hall Australian expeditions comprise a series of five main ornithological collecting expeditions carried out in the 1960s and covering much of the Australian continent.

The expeditions were organised by the Zoology Department of the British Museum of Natural History in London to expand their holdings of Australian bird specimens following the sale of both the Rothschild and Mathews collections to the United States. The expeditions were sponsored by Australian-born philanthropist Major Harold Wesley Hall who gave the museum a grant of ₤25,000 to enable the expeditions to take place. The series of expeditions aroused some opposition within Australia on both nationalistic and conservation grounds, and formed the last systematic collecting effort of Australian birds by an overseas institution. However, the organisers worked closely and well with Australian ornithologists and museums. Mrs Pat Hall (no relation of the sponsor), in the introduction to the main report on the expeditions, says:

”It was estimated that five expeditions could be equipped and mounted from London, each costing ₤5000. Each would consist of about six people travelling in three Land Rovers, some of the members being from the British Museum (Natural History) and some from Australian museums, assisted by amateurs from both countries, and each would last about six months. Routes were planned with three objectives: first to provide the British Museum (Natural History) with a representative collection of Australian birds; second, to explore some areas which were poorly known ornithologically; third, to allow the Head of the Bird Room, Mr J. D. Macdonald to visit on the first Expedition as many State Museums as possible to prepare the way for subsequent expeditions. In addition each expedition had to end up and store vehicles and equipment at some place from which it was practicable to start the next expedition six months later.

”The basic plan was as follows:

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