From Lady Jane Franklin to marvellous Mrs Mac: a brief history of trailblazing women in early Western science communication in Australia

The history of women in Australian science communication has thus far received little attention. While there is a growing body of research on the history of Australian women in western science, scholarship on the early history of colonial science communication in Australia is scarce, and research on women's roles in the field even more so. Despite this research gap, several colonial women played critical roles in educating on and communicating science to Australians from the 1830s through to the 1930s, particularly their fellow women and children. They took on various science communication roles that sometimes differed from men's approaches, such as scientific administration, visual artistry, and domestic education, and have therefore been overlooked. This article makes these science communication activities visible and aims to be a starting a point for filling the gap in the literature on the history of women in Australian science communication. It also aims to broaden the understanding of what counts as science communication.