Thomas Braidwood Wilson

Australian surgeon and explorer (1792–1843)

Thomas Braidwood Wilson FRGS (bapt. 29 April 1792 – 11 November 1843) was an Australian surgeon and explorer. He was baptised in Kirknewton, West Lothian, Scotland, the son of James, and Catherine Boak.

Wilson studied at Edinburgh University and became a Doctor of Medicine. He joined the Royal Navy in 1815 and made nine voyages to Australia as a surgeon superintendent on convict ships. The times were very dangerous and many of the sea voyages were eventful. In 1829 he travelled on the return journey of the Governor Ready to Australia when it was shipwrecked in the Torres Strait. Wilson and some of the crew rowed 1000 mile (1609 km) to Timor. The following table details the nine voyages Wilson made as a surgeon superintendent on convict ships. +ShipDep. DateDep. LocationArr. DateArr. LocationRichmond27/11/1821Sheerness, England30/04/1822Van Diemen's LandPrince Regent13/02/1824Cork, Ireland15/07/1824New South WalesMangles23/10/1825Cork, Ireland18/02/1826New South WalesGovernor Ready03/04/1827Portsmouth, England31/07/1827Van Diemen's LandGovernor Ready21/09/1828Cork, Ireland16/01/1829New South WalesJohn14/10/1830Spithead, England28/01/1831Van Diemen's LandEngland04/04/1832Spithead, England18/07/1832Van Diemen's LandMoffatt29/01/1834Plymouth, England09/05/1834Van Diemen's LandStrathfieldsay18/02/1836Portsmouth, England15/06/1836New South Wales

Wilson sailed in the ship, Governor Phillip to the Swan River in Western Australia with Captain Collet Barker. From there he explored the region inland from King George Sound. Captain Barker was the Commandant at King George Sound and provided the provisions for the expedition. Wilson named the hill overlooking the future township of Mount Barker in his honour. During these expeditions Wilson collected seeds and species to bring back to his friend, Allan Cunningham at the Sydney Botanical Gardens. A species of grevillea from Western Australia, Grevillea wilsonii, was named after him. Wilson's inlet in Western Australia is also named after him. King George Sound is now home to the thriving town of Albany. In 1833 Wilson was granted a fellowship of the Royal Geographical Society.

Wilson's third child, Thomas Braidwood, died at the age of five months on 23 September 1837 and Wilson built a vault at the top of a hill just north of the town for his burial. His wife died not long after on 29 January 1838 and was also buried in the vault. The location boasts a beautiful view over the town of Braidwood and a large pine tree has been grown adjacent to the vault. During the drought and depression of the early 1840s Wilson was declared bankrupt and on 11 November 1843 it is thought that he probably committed suicide. He was buried with his wife and child in the vault. The grave site fell into disrepair but was repaired and a path from the town added some time after April 2006. The route to the site is unclear (mapped here) and the absence of a track indicates it is rarely visited. The public way was in general use during the late 19th century and until the early 2000s. Community projects were arranged to restore the grave site in 1894 and in 1935, and the stiles were built with a Community Bicentennial Grant in 1988. On change of ownership of the property on which the grave sits, access was closed off by the owner in about 2005 and it is now rarely used as the stiles have been deliberately broken or locked off. Strong community pride in the site has seen several attempts at rectifying this, and The route commences with the first stile at the corner of the Kings Highway and Wallace Street at the North end of town and is a walk. You must proceed from stile to stile as barbed wire fences block alternative routes. From the second wooden stile (in poor repair) head to the north east of the paddock to the third metal stile and from there east to the fourth stile If the stile is locked proceed north along the fence to the gate. From here the route is obvious.