Robert Christison (pastoralist), Date of Birth, Date of Death
TweetRobert Christison (pastoralist)
Australian pastoralist
Date of Birth: 
About Robert Christison (pastoralist)
- Robert Christison (8 January 1837 – 25 October 1915) was a pastoralist in Australia. Christison was born in Foulden, Berwickshire, Scotland, sixth son of Alexander Christison, Church of Scotland minister, and his first wife Helen, née Cameron.
- His uncle was Sir Robert Christison. Christison was educated at the local school and then migrated to Victoria in 1852 along with his brother, Tom.
- Initially Christison worked in Werribee, Victoria for the Chirnside brothers.
- He was a fine horseman and an amateur jockey.
- Christison thought of joining the Burke and Wills expedition but instead explored the interior with an Aboriginal boy as far as southern Queensland.
- He shipped horses and himself to Bowen in northern Queensland.
- From there he travelled inland for an area discovered by William Landsborough which was regarded as good sheep country.
- Christison grazed sheep there and, later, cattle.
- In 1870 he drove 7000 sheep over 1,500 miles (2,400 km) to Victoria. In 1881, Christison became interested in the frozen meat trade.
- He went to London and formed the Australian Company Limited, which was granted a lease at Poole Island near Bowen in northern Queensland.
- This was the first export frozen meatworks in Queensland.
- However a cyclone devastated the area on 30 January 1884 and the company did not recover. Christison sank dams on his properties and by 1900 had 40,000 cattle and 500 thoroughbred horses.
- Christison published two pamphlets: United Australia and Imperial Federation (London, 1888) and The Flocks & Herds of Queensland (Brisbane, 1896).
- In 1910, Christison rejoined his family in Scotland after selling his interests.
- He died in Foulden in 1915.
Read more at Wikipedia