George Austin

Mission to Australia

Together with fellow gardener James Smith, Austin travelled on the storeship HMS Guardian carrying supplies to the new colony as a follow-up to the ships of the First Fleet which had arrived at Botany Bay in January 1788. The vessel was specially fitted out to carry agricultural crops to the new colony and the two gardeners were to care for the plants during the voyage.

Joseph Banks was a wealthy and influential botanist who planned much of the ship’s cargo. He had designed and paid for construction of a ‘special plant-cabin’ to protect the more fragile plants from wind and salt spray. The Guardian’s quarter-deck was crowded with over 100 boxes and tubs of trees, bulbs, plants and seedlings, at least some of which supplied by Hugh Ronalds, a nurseryman in Brentford. Special racks were made for the pots.

Banks gave the gardeners strict and extensive instructions concerning the care of the plants and even encouraging them to avoid drunkenness. Upon arrival the gardeners were to then collect seed and live plants for return to Banks and Kew Gardens. They were to train a sailor to care for the plants on this return journey as they were to stay in the colony. They were also ordered to collect plants and seed only for Banks and Kew. Supplying collections to others could be a lucrative business and, it seems, Austin in defiance of Banks had promised to collect seed for nurserymen in England. Austin tried to persuade Smith to join his scheme but Smith wrote to Banks to tell him of Austin's plans. All to be of no consequence as it turned out.

Voyage

The Guardian under the command of Lieutenant Edward Riou set sail from Spithead on 8 September 1789, and had an uneventful voyage to the Cape of Good Hope, arriving on 24 November 1789 loaded with provisions, farm machinery, agricultural crops and livestock to a value of some £70,000, together with convicts and their overseers. Here at the Cape the ship took on more provisions, plants and convicts. On Christmas Eve, twelve days after his departure from the Cape, and with the animals and plants making heavy demands on the ship’s water supply, the sighting of an iceberg was an opportunity to collect fresh water. In poor weather conditions the ship collided with the iceberg, was badly damaged and, being in danger of sinking, Riou allowed most of the crew to take to the Guardian's boats, Austin and Smith being among those that took to boats that were never seen again. Riou managed to struggle back to the Cape taking nine weeks and here the ship was run aground to prevent her sinking, only to be wrecked during a hurricane. The remains were sold in 1790. Riou survived this event only to be killed by round shot at the Battle of Copenhagen on 2 April 1801.