Adventurers John and Elizabeth Gould exposed the beauty of Australia’s wildlife to the world.
Story Grantlee Kieza Illustration Elizabeth Gould
In the harsh Australian drought of 1839, which wreaked havoc on the interior of NSW, London’s world-famous ‘Bird Man’ John Gould trampled through the thick, dry undergrowth on the slopes of the Liverpool Range near present day Scone, sweating profusely. He was on a quest to collect every species of Australian bird, which his wife Elizabeth and other artists would then draw and paint for his lavish 7-volume work The Birds of Australia. He also collected specimens to take home to the London Zoological Society and to the Rijksmuseum in Leiden, The Netherlands.
Gould was a determined bull of a man, 34 years old, stocky, balding, red-faced and hard-driving. He wore thick boots and coarse woollen clothing topped by a wide-brimmed hat decorated with the tail feathers of a male lyrebird. The feathers were fanned out to replicate the lyrebird’s appearance during courtship displays and at the suggestion of Gould’s Indigenous guides, he would often stop during his trek to dance about in imitation of a male lyrebird. The guides – Kayawaykal or Geawegal men known to the Europeans by their nicknames Natty and Jemmy – had convinced Gould that his crown of feathers combined with dancing was the best way to attract the birds he coveted. More than likely, Natty and Jemmy had to suppress their laughter at the antics of this eccentric Englishman.
Listen to our expansive interview with writer Grantlee Kieza talking about the Goulds on the R.M.Williams OUTBACK podcast.
This story excerpt is from Issue #161
Outback Magazine: June/July 2025
