MURRAY, Reginald Augustus Frederick (1846-1925)

geologist

was the son of Captain Virginius Murray, and was born in Perthshire, Scotland, on 18 February 1846. He was brought to Australia in 1855, and was educated at a private school at South Yarra, Melbourne, kept by the Rev. T. P. Fenner, M.A. He left school in 1860, and worked on a cattle run. About the beginning of 1862 he joined the geological survey, then under Selwyn (q.v.), and had experience in the Bacchus Marsh, Ballan, the Otway ranges, and many other districts. When the geological survey was terminated in 1869 Murray engaged in mining and mining surveying in the Ballarat district. He joined the government service again in 1871, and made geological surveys of the Bendigo and Ballarat goldfields. He did a large amount of pioneering surveying of Gippsland much of which had not been explored. In 1881 he was appointed geological surveyor for the department of mines, Victoria, and remained in this position until 1897 when he resigned. He afterwards held appointments with various English mining companies and in his later years did a good deal of prospecting work. He died on 5 September 1925. He married twice and was survived by sons and daughters of both marriages. In 1887 he published a capable volume, Victoria: Geology and Physical Geography, and a large number of his reports and maps will be found listed in Bulletin No. 23 of the geological survey of Victoria, p. 33. He was a hard-working and able geologist, who did excellent exploring and pioneering geological work in Victoria and particularly in relation to mining country.

E. J. Dunn, Bulletin No. 23, Geological Survey of Victoria; Industrial Australian and Mining Standard, 17 September 1925; private information.