Hinteroecker, John Nepomucenus   (1820 - 1872)

Born on New Year's Day 1820 in Spitz, Austria; died on 6 October 1872 in Launceston, Tasmania.

Aged 19, he joined the Jesuits. Alongside his religious formation, he also deepened his scientific knowledge. He was assigned to teaching science, and rejoiced that his favourite pastime had become his occupation.

In 1853, he transferred to Linz at the Jesuit junior seminary in Freinberg and remained there until moving to Australia.

At the seminary, he established a botanic garden, with 610 genera and 1914 species.

Fired by his passion for missionary work, Hinteroecker left his garden and his arboretum behind. He left Vienna in November 1865.

He travelled by the overland route across Egypt, connecting with the P&O steamship from Egypt to Ceylon. From there he travelled to Australia, (and made landfall, and collected, in King George's Sound in WA on 4 January 1866) before proceeding to Melbourne.

From Melbourne he went to Adelaide, and arrived in Sevenhill on 1 February 1866.

Here he studied the English language, of which as yet he knew but little, at St Aloysius College, Sevenhill.

Hinteroecker's desire to work with Australia's Aboriginal people had led him across the ocean to Australia. But that desire was not realised, and his work with Aboriginal people was very limited. This apparent failure to achieve his primary goal may mask the fact that in his few short years in Australia Hinteroecker made a lasting contribution, especially as a naturalist.

At Sevenhill he he immediately started collecting and planted a garden. Within a few months he had collected about 1200 species.

In January 1867, on a trip to the south-east, he met another priest-scientist, Fr Julian Tenison Woods, who had established a reputation in science through a series of papers, newspaper articles, books, and government reports. Together they visited the Naracoorte Caves.

In May 1867, the Bishop of Adelaide, asked him to move from Sevenhill to Adelaide because of the shortage of priests there.

Hinteroecker became involved in the Mary MacKillop (later Saint) controversy, especially in translating the proceedings of the enquiry into Latin for the Vatican around 1872.

His involvement so impressed a visiting bishop that he invited him to Tasmania to give retreats to the clergy and religious sisters, and missions to local parishioners. In August he set off for this new task, and passing through Melbourne, he sailed for Hobart.

At the end of September he proceeded to Launceston for the second part of his mission, but on the way he contracted pneumonia, and after a short illness, died on 6 October 1872 in Launceston.
He was 52 years of age.


This is a very abridged version of the much longer and more detailed paper:
O'Brien, Roderick (2023) 'Johann Nepomuk Hinteröcker: 1866-1872 in Australia', Trans Roy Soc SA, Vol.47

Source: Extracted from:
O'Brien, Roderick (2023) 'Johann Nepomuk Hinteröcker: 1866-1872 in Australia', Trans Roy Soc SA, Vol.47
Portrait Photo: State Library of South Australia, [B 2765].

Collecting localities for 'Hinteroecker, J.N.' from AVH (2024)

Data from 67 specimens