Allan Cunningham

Visitors to the Sydney Botanic Gardens may be familiar with the restaurant & pond in the gardens but what many visitors may only give a passing glimpse to is an obelisk dated 1844 that sits in the middle of the pond. A marble slab bears the following inscription in leaden lettering:—" The remains of Allan Cunningham were interred in the Devonshire Street Cemetery in July, 1839, from which they were reverently removed on the 25th May, 1901, and placed within this obelisk." In 1844 this obelisk marked the high tide mark where Botanical Creek met the harbour.

Who was Allan Cunningham?
Allan Cunningham was born in England in 1791 at the age of 19 he was being tutored by Sir Joseph Banks at Kew & it was from here that Allan Cunningham was to become one of Australia's foremost botanist & explorers.

After 2 years collecting botanical samples in South America Cunningham arrived in Australia on December 20th 1817 with a letter of introduction to Governor Macquarie. The following year he was a member of Oxley’s party to explore the Lachlan Valley. Between 1817 &1831 Cunningham explored or visited a vast area of Australia collecting plants. One the great achievements he is remembered for is the expedition party he lead in 1827 In which he travelled from the Hunter Valley up the inland side of The Great Dividing Range & in doing so was the 1st European to discover the Darling Downs. It was on this trip he discovered a route over the Dividing Range known as Spicer’s Gap. This allowed settlers to travel inland from the Morton bay settlement. Later in 1828 he returned to Morton Bay to further explore the area & it was on this trip that he discover another gap in range This is now know as Cunningham’s gap. Whilst on a trip to Morton bay he observed the Macadamia tree.

In 1831 Cunningham left Sydney to return to England to work at Kew gardens cataloguing his collection of over 3000 botanical specimens.

In 1832 Allan Cunningham is offered the job of superintendent of the Sydney Botanical Gardens. He declined the offer in favour of his younger brother Richard. Unfortunately in 1835 whilst on an expedition in the Bogan region, Richard, whilst collecting plant samples, became lost & disorientated. He was taken in by some Aboriginals but he became delirious & the Aboriginal fearing he was possessed by an evil spirit club him to death.

In 1837 Allan returned to Australia to take up his brother’s post at the gardens. He resigns after 2 months in disgust objecting to superintending 'the Government Cabbage Garden' where among other things he was expected to grow vegetables for the governor's table, and resigned, to resume the 'more legitimate occupation' of collecting

On the 27th June 1939 - Allan Cunningham died in Sydney of Tuberculosis, aged of 47.

At the time of his death Cunningham had collected over 3000 plant specimens & the high esteem that the Cunningham brothers were held is reflected in the number of plants named in their honour(listed below) along with Cunningham Hwy, Cunningham electorate, Cunningham Point

She Oak Casuarina Cunninghamiana, Bangalow Palm Archontophoenix cunninghamiana, Cliff Mallee-ash, Eucalyptus cunninghamii, Myrtle Beech Nothofagus cunninghamii ,Hoop Pine Araucaria cunninghamii ,Parrot Pea Crotalaria cunninghamii ,Albany daisy Actinodium cunninghamii ,Hairpin banksia Banksia cunninghamii,Green bird flower Crotalaria cunninghamii , Nertera cunninghamii , Gastrodia cunninghamii , Plantago cunninghamii ,Trochocarpo Cunninghamii ,Native jute Corchorus cunninghamii ,Brisbane lily Proiphys cunninghamii ,Gully tree fern or Slender Tree Fern Cyathea cunninghamii, Montane totara Podocarpus cunninghamii ,Astelia cunninghamii, Black maire Olea cunninghamii ,Melothria cunninghamii (Zehneria Cuninghamii) Bush Minuria Minuria cunninghamii ,Lignum Muehlenbeckia Cunninghamii, Bushy Groundsel Senecio Cunninghamii ,Sneezeweed Centipeda cunninghamii ,Corokia Cotoneaster Carmichaelia cunninghamii ,Yellow berry bush Maytenus cunninghamii, Liverwort Acromastigum cunninghamii & the Genus Aliania