A former president of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, he was known for his studies of desert plants and pollination as well as birds and terrestrial worms.
[1] In the same year, he succeeded in passing the examination demanded by the Education Department of New South Wales to teach in the country schools.
He also studied the natural history of the area and raised many unusual pets, including birds, lizards, kangaroos and a platypus.
[1] In October 1887, Hamilton became headmaster of the Mount Kembla Public School and started to study the ecology of the rainforest and to attend lectures at the University of Sydney.
[2] In March 1905, he became headmaster of Willoughby Public School and a lecturer in nature study in Blackfriars and Hurlstone Training colleges.
He was formally appointed to Teachers' College, Sydney, on 1 January 1907, but continued his dual job at least until May of that year, working six days a week.