John and Elizabeth Gould’s Birds of Australia on display at the Springwood Library
The Birds of Australia STORYBOX interactive exhibit at the Springwood Hub showcases John and Elizabeth Gould’s bird illustrations and First Nations knowledge. It highlights the threats to Australian birds, promotes conservation efforts, and is complemented by the Planetary Health Centre’s bird photography exhibition.
Key Points:
- The Blue Mountains is home to a significant portion of Australia’s bird species, but these populations are under threat from climate change, habitat loss, and feral predators.
- The Birds of Australia STORYBOX exhibit at the Springwood Theatre and Community Hub, featuring John and Elizabeth Gould’s illustrations and First Nations knowledge, aims to raise awareness about the fragility of Australian birdlife and inspire conservation efforts.
- The exhibit highlights the historical significance of the Gould’s work, their reliance on First Nations expertise, and the ongoing efforts of Blue Mountains City Council to protect local bird species through various environmental initiatives.
The Blue Mountains is home to 265 native birds; a staggering one third of Australia’s total bird species. But, as Mayor Mark Greenhill pointed out when he launched the Birds of Australia STORYBOX at the Springwood Theatre and Community Hub on Saturday, 15 February, “bird populations are being decimated by climate change, habitat loss and predation by feral species … Shamefully almost one in six Australian birds are threatened by extinction today.”
The Birds of Australia STORYBOX is an interactive storytelling cube bringing to life the iconic bird illustrations of John and Elizabeth Gould, together with First Nations storytelling and knowledge.
It aims to both draw the community’s attention to the wonder and fragility of our unique bird life, and to focus our attention on what we can do to protect them.
Mayor Mark Greenhill launching the Australian Museum’s STORYBOX at the Springwood Theatre and Community Hub on Saturday 15 February 2025.
The Mayor spoke about John and Elizabeth Gould travelling across Tasmania, New South Wales and South Australia in the 1800s, “on one of the most significant birding expeditions in history, helping inform contemporary knowledge and conservation of Australian birds. Their journey resulted in the publication The Birds of Australia, the first comprehensive scientific study of Australian birdlife. Its seven volumes include descriptions of 681 species, 328 of which were new to Western science.
“Even John Gould, himself an active participant in colonial science, decried the loss of birdlife caused by the arrival of Europeans. His diary contains an entry observing the decreasing number of magpie goose on the Hawkesbury River and laments the detrimental effect colonisation has on wildlife.”
The Goulds could never have undertaken their expedition without the knowledge and expertise of the First Nations guides upon whom they relied, not only for survival and navigation, but for their knowledge of bird habitat and behaviours. This sophisticated knowledge was shared in First Nations Songlines and now informs contemporary conservation efforts.
Unfortunately, only 250 editions of The Birds of Australia were produced, but a replica is now on display at the Springwood Library until 27 April. The pages of the book will be turned weekly so it’s worth planning a visit each week over the next two months!
Karen Majoros at Springwood Library with the Birds of Australia by John and Elizabeth Gould.
The book contains 680 exquisite lithographs and the page depicting Bowerbirds was on display on February 15.
At the launch the Mayor went on to highlight that, as the first Council and government entity in Australia to commit to integrating the Rights of Nature, Blue Mountains City Council is being proactive in protecting our native and threatened species with initiatives like “Bushcare, Swampcare, Bush Backyards, Healthy Waterways, The Blue Mountains Fauna Project, the Wildlife Recovery Mayoral Reference Group, advocating against the Warragamba Dam wall raising and community education and awareness-raising programs”.
The Planetary Health Centre was one of several Council services working to protect our biodiversity that had stalls at the launch. The Centre will be featuring a Frogs of the Blue Mountains exhibition at its upcoming Planetary Health Day on 1 March.
The Planetary Health Centre’s World Animal Day exhibition of bird photographs, by Holly Kent, Warren Hinder and Merryl Watkins is also now on display at the Springwood Theatre and Community Hub to complement the Australian Museum’s STORYBOX.
The Planetary Health Centre’s World Animal Day exhibition of bird photographs at the Springwood Theatre & Community Hub
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This story has been produced as part of a Bioregional Collaboration for Planetary Health and is supported by the Disaster Risk Reduction Fund (DRRF). The DRRF is jointly funded by the Australian and New South Wales governments.
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