Commissioner Bidwill's Grave facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Commissioner Bidwill's Grave |
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Commissioner Bidwill's Grave, 2009
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| Location | Cran Road, Tinana, Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1840s - 1860s (mid-19th century) |
| Built | 1853 |
| Official name: Commissioner Bidwill's Grave | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 30 April 1997 |
| Reference no. | 601822 |
| Significant period | 1850s (fabric) |
| Significant components | trees of social, historic or special significance, burial/grave, headstone |
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Commissioner Bidwill's Grave is a special heritage site in Tinana, Queensland, Australia. It is the lone grave of John Carne Bidwill, an important person in the early history of the Maryborough and Wide Bay regions. He was a government official and a very talented botanist (someone who studies plants). He died in 1853, and his grave was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 30 April 1997.
Contents
John Carne Bidwill's Story
The grave of John Carne Bidwill is a significant place. It is located near where Tinana Creek meets the Mary River. Bidwill was the Commissioner for Crown Lands from 1849 to 1852. He played a key role in the early development of the Wide Bay region. He also worked as a Police Magistrate, Harbour Master, and registrar for births, deaths, and marriages.
A Passion for Plants
John Carne Bidwill was born in England in 1815. He was first and foremost a talented botanist and natural historian. He loved studying plants. He is believed to have brought certain fruits, like the mango, to Australia. In 1843, Bidwill took samples of the Bunya Bunya pine (Araucaria bidwillii) to London. One of these seedlings was bought by the famous Kew Gardens.
He also discovered a giant Australian water lily (Nymphaea gigantea) in 1841. Bidwill was involved in experiments to create new types of gladioli, hibiscus, and amaryllis. His hibiscus crosses were the first scientifically created plant hybrids in Australia.
Travels and Discoveries
In 1838, Bidwill sailed to Sydney, Australia, with his sister. He planned to start a family business there. He later traveled to New Zealand in 1839. There, he established two more family businesses. He also explored New Zealand, collecting many plant specimens. Two plant species were named after him because of his discoveries: Halocarpus bidwilli and Brachyglottis bidwilli. His experiences in New Zealand led him to publish a book called Rambles in New Zealand in 1841.
Bidwill returned to Sydney in 1841. He worked with Joseph Hooker, a famous botanist's son. He also began working as an assistant at the Sydney Botanical Gardens. In 1843, he sailed back to England. He sold some of the plant specimens he had collected in Australia.
He returned to Australia in 1844, bringing new plants like bananas and apricots. He started his own plant nursery near Camden. Some of his camellia plants are still grown in that area today. He also continued his experiments with gladioli.
Life as Commissioner
In 1847, Bidwill was appointed Government Botanist and Director of the Sydney Botanical Gardens. However, due to a mistake, someone else was given the job. Bidwill then asked to be considered for a Commissioner for Crown Lands position. In 1848, he was appointed Commissioner for the Wide Bay region. He arrived in Wide Bay in December 1848.
Bidwill set up his home and gardens on the banks of Tinana Creek. This was about six kilometers from the village, which was renamed Maryborough in 1849. He built a cottage, stables, and a barracks for his assistants. He named his home and the nearby creek "Tinana," possibly inspired by a Maori leader.
His garden was very large. Even as Commissioner, Bidwill continued to collect and grow plants. He also experimented with fruits and vegetables. He kept sending plants to Kew Gardens in England. However, he found it challenging to be an efficient administrator in his role as Commissioner.
A Difficult Journey and Final Days
In 1852, Bidwill was asked to mark a new, straighter path for drays (carts) and prisoners between Maryborough and Brisbane. The old route took five days. Bidwill set out with five other men and horses. They cut a direct path through the land. During this journey, Bidwill was credited with finding traces of gold, many years before the Gympie gold field was discovered.
The party continued south, marking the path. At one point, their food supplies ran low. Bidwill decided to go ahead with an assistant to get more food. For sixteen days, Bidwill and his assistant survived on snails and edible roots. They were eventually rescued by a group of Aboriginal people.
The hardships of this journey severely affected Bidwill's health. He became very ill and died on March 16, 1853, at the age of 38. He was buried among the plants in his botanical garden. The cause of death was a severe kidney problem.
To mark his grave, a Bunya pine was planted at each corner. After his death, botanists Sir Charles Moore and Walter Hill collected specimens from Bidwill's garden. Some trees from his collection are still believed to be alive today, like a Bunya Pine and a Sausage Tree in Queen's Park, Maryborough. A lychee tree, thought to be from Bidwill's original garden, still grows near Tinana Creek, about 30 metres (98 ft) from his grave.
John Carne Bidwill is not widely known today, but his work in botany and his role in early Queensland history were very important. The suburbs of Bidwill in Maryborough and Bidwill in Sydney are named after him. Also, thirty different plant species carry his name.
Grave Description
Commissioner Bidwill's Grave is located on a small hill next to a sugar cane field. It is south of where Tinana Creek meets the Mary River, near Cran Road in Tinana.
The grave has a sandstone headstone with a pointed top. It has been repaired with a strong sheet on the back and a concrete base. A lychee tree grows to the west of the grave.
Why It's Heritage Listed
Commissioner Bidwill's Grave was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 30 April 1997 because it meets important criteria.
Historical Importance
The grave is important because it shows how the Wide Bay district grew. It highlights the role of John Carne Bidwill, the first Commissioner for Crown Lands, before Queensland became a separate state. It also marks the burial place of the first person to map a new, direct route for transport between Maryborough and Brisbane.
The grave and the nearby lychee tree are the last remaining signs of the home and gardens Bidwill created between 1849 and 1852. He chose this spot for his home and named the creek "Tinana." He also created a large botanical garden there to grow many different plants. Bidwill was a very active collector and grower of plants. Specimens he collected during his travels are now kept at Kew Gardens.
Connection to a Key Person
The grave marks the burial site of John Carne Bidwill, the first Commissioner for Crown Lands appointed to the Wide Bay region in 1849. In the early years of the Wide Bay area (1849–52), Bidwill played a vital role in its establishment. As Commissioner, he managed land licenses and also acted as Police Magistrate, Harbour Master, and registrar for births, deaths, and marriages. After his death in 1853, Bidwill was buried in his botanical garden. Today, only one fruit tree, a lychee, is believed to remain from that garden.
