George Caley wrote in his 'An Account of a Journey to the Sea in the month of February 1805', of the plants discovered along his route. According to his diary, Caley set out from Macarthur’s farm at Pennant Hills on Monday February 18th 1805. He headed east northeast. As he approached the coast, the date not precisely recorded, he collected near a place he called ‘Seasight Hill’, later established as near Belrose, a Grevillea to which he gave the name ‘E. [Embothrium] pinnatum’.
Caley's four-day journey, ‘An Account of a Journey to the Sea in the month of February, 1805’, took him through present day St Ives to Belrose and then down through the bush to come out above where the Narrabeen Fitness camp now is. He reached Narrabeen Lagoon and the sea on February 20th, 1805. He returned by the upper reaches of Middle Harbour (Caley 1805).
He was accompanied by 'Daniel' or 'Moowat''tin' (c1791-1816) an Aboriginal Australian Darug man from the Parramatta area. There are a number of other spellings of his name, including Mow-watty, Mowwatting, Moowatting and Moowattye, which is said to mean 'Bush Path' and clearly infers how George Caley managed to find his way to Narrabeen from Pennant Hills.
Mr. Caley (June 10, 1770- May 23, 1829) was sent to Australia by Joseph Banks as a botanical collector on the "Speedy." He arrived in 1800 and settled at Parramatta, and soon afterwards set out the Botanical Gardens, becoming Superintendent. Some records indicate he sent over 10, 000 specimens back to Sir Joseph Banks in England. Many of those specimens have the annotation in Caley's hand of "got by Dan".
Robert Brown, considered ‘the father of Australian botany’, had a great admiration for Caley and had collected with him while in Australia. He wrote -
‘Grevillea is probably the most extensive genus of Proteaceae in New Holland. Besides the Proteaceae described or noticed in this paper, I am acquainted with several very beautiful species chiefly of Grevillea and Persoonia, discovered in New Holland by Mr George Caley, a most assiduous and accurate botanist, who, under the patronage of Sir Joseph Banks, has for upwards of eight years been engaged in examining the plants of New South Wales, and whose numerous discoveries will, it is hoped, be soon given to the public, either by himself, or in such a manner as to obtain for him that reputation among botanists to which he is well entitled.’ (Brown 1810a: 170).
Robert Brown, in a paper published in 1830, after first giving consideration to the name ‘Grevillea blechnifolia’, a name recorded on several specimen sheets at the time, ultimately named a plant Grevillea caleyi in his honour, (Brown 1830: 22).
Mr. Caley is also recognised in the orchid genus Caleana (the Flying Duck Orchid) and in Viola caleyana, Banksia caleyi, and Eucalyptus caleyi.
Grevillea caleyi, drawn 1832 by William Jackson Hooker (1785-1865)
At Ingleside and in some areas surrounding Grevillea caleyi is still present although it is now listed as a critically endangered species in New South Wales and at the Commonwealth level (gazetted May 30th, 2014).
The Pittwater Natural Heritage Association is coordinating a project funded by Greater Sydney Local Land Services and the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage Saving Our Species program.
- establishes the extent of the current distribution of the species;
- favours in-situ protection and management of threats at G. caleyi sites; raises awareness of the species and provides the community with information that assists with its conservation; and
- provides a greater understanding of aspects of the biology and ecology of the species that will assist future management
- Loss and fragmentation of habitat through clearing and development.
- Inappropriate fire regimes.
- Habitat degradation by invasion of weeds and pathogens.
- People using remnant bushland for recreation (e.g. bike trails) and disturbing critical habitat, individuals and substrate.
- Small population sizes in highly fragmented remnants.
- Rubbish dumping.
