Royal Geographical Society of Australasia

On 22 June 1883, the Geographical Society of Australasia started at a meeting in Sydney. A branch was formed in Victoria in the same year. In July 1885, both the Queensland and the South Australian branches started.

In July 1886 the society became the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia. The New South Wales branch's new constitution in 1886 widened its scope to encourage interest in scientific, commercial, educational and historical aspects of geography. The Society sponsored several important expeditions, notably the New Guinea Exploration Expedition in 1885.

The Victorian branch amalgamated with the Victorian Historical Society, while the New South Wales branch ceased to function by the early 1920s. The South Australian branch continues as the Royal Geographical Society of South Australia, as does the Royal Geographical Society of Queensland.

The South Australian branch was formed on 10 July 1885 with foundation members His Honor the Chief Justice S. J. Way, Sir Henry Ayers, KCMG. (President of the Legislative Council), Sir Samuel Davenport, Sir Thomas Elder, Hons. George W. Cotton, David Murray, Henry Scott, and Robert Alfred Tarlton, M.L.C., Bishop Kennion, D.D., Archdeacon Farr, M.A., LLD, Rev. F. Williams, M.A., Peter Egerton-Warburton. F. E. H. W. Krichauff, M.P., Edwin Thomas Smith, M.P., William Bundey (Mayor of Adelaide), J. A. Hartley, B.A., B.Sc.(lnspector-General of Schools), J. W. Jones (Conservator of Water), J. Langdon Bonython, J. F. Conigrave, T. Evans Jr., William Everard, S. T. Gill, C. Hope Harris, E. Holthouse, A. T. Magarey, C. M. McKillop F.R.G.S., C. J. Sanders, Samuel Tomkinson, W. H. Tietkens, F.R.G.S., W. B. Wilkinson, Thomas Worsnop and F. S. Wallis. Later prominent members were Simpson Newland (president 1895–1900 and 1920–1922), A. M. Simpson, A. A. Simpson (president 1925–1930), John Lewis (president 1913–1920) and Clive M. Hambidge (president 1944–1947).

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