Gary Presland is an Australian archaeologist

Australian archaeology

Australian Archaeology is a large sub-field in the discipline of Archaeology. Archaeology in Australia takes three main forms, Aboriginal Archaeology , Historical Archaeology and Maritime Archaeology...

 and writer who studied history at La Trobe University

La Trobe University

La Trobe University is a multi-campus university in Victoria, Australia. It was established in 1964 by an Act of Parliament to become the third oldest university in the state of Victoria. The main campus of La Trobe is located in the Melbourne suburb of Bundoora; two other major campuses are...

 1973-76, and archaeology at the University of London

University of London

-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...

, 1977-79. He was a staff member of the Victoria Archaeological Survey

Victoria Archaeological Survey

The Victorian state government established the Archaeological and Aboriginal Relics Office under the Chief Secretary's Department, following the enactment of the Archaeological and Aboriginal Relics Preservation Act 1972. One of the original aims of the Relics office was to compile a list of...

 from 1983 to April 1988; his research interests are in the Aboriginal and natural history of Melbourne. One important contribution was the transcription and editing of the Journals of 19th century ethnographer George Augustus Robinson

George Augustus Robinson

George Augustus Robinson was a builder and untrained preacher. He was the Chief Protector of Aborigines in Port Phillip District from 1839 to 1849...

.

Presland was the Thomas Ramsay Science and Humanities Fellow

Thomas Ramsay Science and Humanities Fellowship

The Thomas Ramsay Science and Humanities Fellowship was created in 1978, under a bequest from the prominent local philanthropist who was interested in Australian history....

 at Museum Victoria in 2001. Presland has been involved in the Archaeological and Anthropological Society of Victoria

Archaeological and Anthropological Society of Victoria

The Archaeological and Anthropological Society of Victoria or AASV is an incorporated association formed in 1976 in Melbourne, Australia through the amalgamation of two earlier societies, the Anthropological Society of Victoria formed in 1934, and the Archaeological Society of Victoria formed in 1964...

 since 1972, and served as President 1984/85 and as editor of the Society's journal The Artefact. Presland is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society of Victoria

Royal Historical Society of Victoria

The Royal Historical Society of Victoria is a community organisation promoting the history of the state of Victoria, Australia. It functions to promote and research the history of that state after settlement, and as an umbrella organisation for more than 300 affiliated societies.It is operated by...

, and has been an editor of The Victorian Naturalist, the journal of the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria

Field Naturalists Club of Victoria

The Field Naturalists Club of Victoria is an Australian natural history and conservation organisation.It was founded in May 1880 by a group of nature enthusiasts that included Thomas Pennington Lucas. Charles French and Dudley Best. It is the oldest conservation group in Victoria...

, since 2003. his recent research has focussed on the early history of Melbourne.

Works

• The first residents of Melbourne's western region, Living Museum of the West/City of Footscray, 1987 (2nd Edition Harriland Press, 1997)
• (with Helen Harris) Cops and Robbers: a guide to researching police and criminal records in 19th century Victoria, Harriland Press, 1991
• For God’s sake, send the Trackers : a history of Queensland trackers and Victoria Police: Victoria Press, 1998
• Scratching the Surface: A brief history of the Victoria Archaeological Survey 1972-1995. The Author, 2000
• Aboriginal Melbourne - The Lost Land of the Kulin, Harriland Press, 2001
• The Place for a Village: how nature has shaped the city of Melbourne, Museum Victoria Publishing, 2009 (winner of the 2009 Victorian Community History Awards
  Victorian Community History Awards
  The Victorian Community History Awards were inaugurated and sponsored by Information Victoria Bookshop from 1998 to 2010. From 2011 the Awards were administered by the Royal Historical Society of Victoria in partnership with Public Record Office Victoria...
  
  for Best Book)
• First People: the Eastern Kulin of Melbourne, Port Phillip and Central Victoria Museum Victoria Publishing, 2010