[4][5][6][7] Grevillea wilkinsonii was first formally described in 1993 by Robert Makinson in the journal Telopea from specimens collected near Tumut in 1991.

[7] Tumut grevillea is only known from two sites in far south-eastern New South Wales, where it grows in grassy forest near rivers.

The smaller population occurs near Gundagai, where it grows on the upper slope of a steep hill.

[4] Grevillea wilkinsonii is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, under the Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and under the New South Wales Government Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016.

Threats to the species include grazing by livestock, habitat degradation, weed invasion and climate change increasing the frequency of severe floods.