Ben Wilkie Historian

About Me

I am a historian and Honorary Associate at La Trobe University. I am active in Australian history, especially social and environmental histories of the Western District of Victoria in the nineteenth century.

I have published broadly on the subject of western Victorian history, and my second book, Gariwerd: An Environmental History of the Grampians, won in the local history category of the Victorian Community History Awards and was shortlisted for the Victorian Premier's History Award. My current work focuses on histories of the Newer Volcanics Province, including Aboriginal oral traditions of volcanism, and I am involved in collaborative research on Aboriginal fire use in nineteenth-century Victoria.

I have also researched in the field of Scottish history, including Scottish migration to Australia, Scotland and the British Empire, and the Scottish Enlightenment. I have been elected as a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, was a Visiting Fellow at the University of Glasgow in 2019, and have published widely on histories of Scotland and Australia. My first book was The Scots in Australia: 1788-1938 (Boydell Press 2017).

You can find a full list of academic publications, and more information about my background and experience, at my La Trobe University profile. You can also get in touch to discuss my research using the details below.

Contact

Feel free to get in touch with me via email: b.wilkie@latrobe.edu.au. I am also on Twitter.