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Frank Nicholas from the School of Veterinary Science outlines Charles Darwin’s visit to Australia on the HMS Beagle in 1836. What Darwin saw contributed to the wealth of evidence he assembled from around the world showing that species have evolved.

Historian Barry Butcher explores the work of four Australians who contributed to the growing corpus of Darwinian science from the 1860s to the 1890s: William Edward Hearn, Robert David Fitzgerald, Walter Baldwin Spencer and Alexander Sutherland.

Writer, lawyer and former science minister Barry Jones opens the Charles Darwin exhibition at the National Museum of Australia.

Environmental historian Libby Robin talks about the uses of environmental history in museums in Australia and New Zealand as a bridge between the traditions of natural and social history.

Environmental historian Libby Robin and novelist Nicholas Drayson share an interest in nature and the history of science and discovery. They explore the dynamic relationship between historical evidence, recollections and the reconstruction of the past.

Curator Matthew Higgins outlines the work undertaken to establish the authenticity of a small brass nameplate, the first object with a corroborated provenance from explorer Ludwig Leichhardt’s lost 1848 expedition.

Historian Rod Home looks at Ludwig Leichhardt’s family background, financial situation and formal scientific training to argue the explorer was also a perceptive naturalist with a well defined research agenda in Australia. NOTE: audio loops from 18:40 on.

Darrell Lewis examines German explorer Ludwig Leichhardt’s intended route for his attempted east-west crossing of Australia. Lewis argues that Leichhardt followed his plan and managed to cross two-thirds of the continent.

Scientist Henry Nix argues that had explorer Ludwig Leichhardt lived, he could have published the results of his scientific observations and joined the company of peers including Alexander von Humboldt and Charles Darwin.

Alice Springs historian Dick Kimber proposes an alternative theory for the fate of Ludwig Leichhardt’s expedition, arguing that it was lost in the Simpson Desert, in a closing discussion with earlier symposium speakers.