ATTEMPTS TO DEAL WITH THISTLES IN MID-19TH CENTURY VICTORIA

Although other weeds were present in Victoria in the 1850s, the general perception was that thistles were the weeds most to be feared, and in need of an effective response. In 1850, Superintendent La Trobe reacted to public concern by publishing a Notice calling for measures to control the spread of Milk Thistle. In January 1856, a petition was presented to the Legislative Council repeating the call. The immediate response was the Thistle Prevention Act (1856), which was to become the model for weeds legislation until the 1920s. The quick solution failed. The plants involved and reasons for that failure are considered in detail.