A history of the British Astronomical Association in Australia: the fate of the Branches

Four Branches of the British Astronomical Association were formed in Australia between 1895 and 1951, but only the first, the New South Wales Branch (1895) has survived. The others, the Victoria Branch (1897), Western Australian Branch (1927), and Victorian Branch (1951) were all short-lived. A short account of each Branch is given and the reasons for their success and failures are examined. The main reason for the three failures was a lack of a role model for observational astronomy.