Royal Geographical Society of South Australia

[4] Whilst the parent organisation failed, South Australia's so-called Branch Without a Tree functioned autonomously and prospered independently, ultimately adopting its present name in 1996.

Additionally, it raised £2,000 to purchase the York Gate Library in 1905, a notable private collection amassed by a London merchant, Stephen William Silver, relating to geography, exploration, and colonisation.

This gratis accommodation arrangement was an enduring initiative of South Australia's first Labor Government at the start of the 1900s to create learning opportunities for anyone, particularly students and researchers.

[7] Since its inception in 1885 the Society has served individuals as well as private and public organisations by facilitating quests for new pastoral runs, mineral locations, and water.

More recently active members and have included a number of celebrated scholars such as Fay Gale, Nick Harvey, Iain Hay, Les Heathcote, Ann Marshall, Graeme Hugo,, Alaric Maude, Murray McCaskill, Guy Robinson, and Peter Smailes.

[citation needed] Because of its prestigious address and community title the Society was fortunate to collect much information about the State's establishment for over 100 years until the last quarter of the 20th century when the History Trust of South Australia (1981) and Department of Environment and Conservation (1971) came into being.