Globally, phytolith research has undeniably come of age in archaeology and palaeoecology and is a powerful tool in reconstructing past environments and human uses of plants. However, Australasia phytolith research has experienced an exclusive set of challenges and interruptions in its distinct history. Phytolith research remained relatively marginalised from mainstream archaeological and palaeoecological practice in Australasia, due to the region’s partial isolation from international scientific communities and the uniqueness of its environments. This paper traces the history of Australasian phytolith research and identifies its delays and false starts. Phytolith research arrives early in Australia (1903), in a convoluted journey from Germany (1835-1895) and Europe (1895-1943), where it eventually suffers a case of ‘mistaken identity’ (1931-1959). The sub-field, dominated by male researchers at the time, gains a formal understanding of phytoliths in the late 1950s which continues throughout the 1960s and 1970s. By the 1980s the focus of Australasian phytolith research was on investigating the complexities of human-interactions in Australasia’s deep past. This shift was almost exclusively driven by female archaeologists such as Doreen Bowdery, Carol Lentfer and Lynley Wallis, who made significant advances in phytolith research which challenged traditional attitudes held relating to prehistoric plant cultivation and use in Australasia. Advancements continue into the 1990s and early 2000s where more universal, non-subjective and geometric terms are developed for phytolith analysis. This ushered in the modern age of Australasian phytolith research, where the sub-field finally came of age. However, since, phytolith research in Australasia has considerably slowed down (2004-present).