Buninyong
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Buninyong is named after Mount Buninyong, an ancient volcano adjoining the borough. [1] It is a Wathawurrong (the local Aboriginal clan) term signifying a hill shaped like a man's knee. [2]
History
The precinct of Buninyong has a strong pastoral and gold mining history and remains a township with a proud heritage and many architecturally and historically significant important buildings. Buninyong was already a small village, and had been surveyed, when gold was discovered in 1851. The survey encouraged systematic development and many public buildings were erected in the 1850s. Early directories list many small business such as breweries, steam saw mill, tanneries, flour mills as well as alluvial and quartz mining works. Some buildings such as Thomas Shepherd's brewery were built in bluestone while others were more modest timber structures.
Early non-indigenous settlers at Buninyong were George Coleman, George Gab, George Innes, Rev. Thomas Hastie.[3]
Gold was discovered first at Buninyong by Thomas Hiscock in 1851 but Buninyong was already a small village, situated on Learmonth land. The first survey (1848/9) followed by the first land sales in May 1851 encouraged systematic development and many public buildings were erected in the early 1850s. Early directories list many small business such as breweries, steam saw mill, tanneries, flour mills as well as both alluvial and quartz mining. The major churches, Presbyterian, Church of England, Methodist and Catholic built in favourite Gothic styles, usually of brick or stone for permanence. In the second half of the 19C, a building boom brought a number of major public buildings such as the Post Office, Police Quarters, Town Hall and Courthouse to completion. The Buninyong Gardens with Public Bath, Bowling Greens and Tennis Courts were also completed about this time and quickly became the social focus of the township.[4]
In 1876 a serious fire destroyed 15 shops, businesses and dwellings:
- Great Fire at Buninyong
After over twenty years of almost entire immunity front the ravages of fire, the ancient village of Buninyong received a visit from the destroyer on Saturday, which has created such a shock in that quiet hamlet as it has never before experienced. The fire originated (says the Evening Post) in Harris's ironmonger's shop, in which an explosion of kerosene or powder soon took place. Spreading east and west with fearful rapidity, the flames soon enwrapped almost the whole block - extending from Mr. Greaves' drapery establishment on the went to Mr. Sleemnan's bakery on the east, every shop and dwelling being completely destroyed and the contents consumed, save the furniture of Mr Sleeman, which was rescued from the flames. The following properties were destroyed, beginning at the western side: - Greaves, draper empty dwellinghouse; Taylor, barber; Daley, baker; Bradshaw, butcher and general store; Harris, ironmonger, furniture dealer and cabinet maker; three empty houses William Caffrey, blacksmith and dwelling house; and Sleeman, baker; making fifteen buildings in all for some of the businesses extended over more than one shop. The value of the property destroyed is estimated at £8,000 or £9,000. A large portion of this loss is covered by insurance. So great a loss has rarely been felt in this district; never, in fact, since the days of the "great fires".[5]
- Great Fire at Buninyong
In 1878 the Borough of Buninyong boasted a population of 1450, with 429 ratepayers on the roll. [6] In that year it was described as a mining, agricultural and manufacturing township, with telegraph, money order and savings bank offices. It was known for its exceptional healthiness. [7]
| 22 January 1895 A company with a capital of £10,000 has been formed at Buninyong for the purpose of freezing and exporting all kinds of farm produce. All the leading men in the district are interested in the affair.[8] |
The electricity supplied was connected to Buninyong in 1936.[9]
- THE EARLY HISTORY OF BUNINYONG.
- (from dicker's mining record.)
- Mount Buninyong, a name that signifies Big Hill, was first visited by white men in August, 1837, when an exploring party, of which Mr Thomas Learmonth formed a member, started from Lethbridge, under the guidance of Mr D'Arcy, a surveyor, who furnished a horse and cart to carry the provisions. The horsemen only, but not the cart, reached the mountain, so, after a lapse of some four and twenty hours, several of the explorers turned their horses' heads southwards, and satisfied the cravings of nature at an out-station belonging to the Clyde Company, not far from their starting point. On or about the 20th of January, 1838, a second exploring party, that Thomas and Somerville Learmonth accompanied, passed over the Burrumbeet Plains, then unoccupied, and the ranges between Warrengeep and Buninyong, near the present site of Ballaarat. On the 25th of the same month, the first-named of the brothers started with the intention of taking up a run near Buninyong, and pitched his tent or rather camped under a tree, on the banks of a large water hole that has been formed by the junction of the Dog Trap Creek with the river Leigh, and not many hundred yards from where the Buninyong Company's Durham shaft has been sunk. Within a day or two of that time Mr Henry Anderson occupied the ground. Mr Winter lately held, and Mr Yuille fed his sheep on the present site of Ballaarat. Mr Scott very soon after settled at Mount Buninyong ; Mr Clark at Miners' Rest, beyond Ballaarat ; and then the settlers, advancing northwards, were met by the enterprising pioneers who had brought their flocks all the way overland from Now South Wales. The Messrs Learmonth extended their runs to the Burrumbeet Plains and Ercildoun, the whole of the country to the White Stone Lake, the Springs and Lakes Learmonth and Burrumbeet being occupied by them. Lake Burrumbeet was then almost dry, and during several succeeding summers it was quite without water, affording luxuriant pasturage for the flocks, and, on at least one occasion, the grass in the basin was consumed by the summer fires. As many as 60,000 sheep were shorn in one season at the home station at Buninyong, all the flocks from Burrumbeet and elsewhere being brought there for that purpose. The woolshed, 200 feet long by 40 feet wide, and well built, was esteemed a model by the whole surrounding district. In those early times no demand existed for the meat that was produced in such large quantities. A choice leg of mutton was worth sixpence, and a living sheep two shillings. The Messrs Learmonth were among the first who tried to increase the profits of the sheep farmer by exporting the tallow, capable of being procured in such abundance, and in 1849 they erected a large melting establishment, for the pur-pose of boiling down the carcases. The arrangements were very complete, the timber growing on the station being formed into casks ; and the refuse of the carcases, after the tallow had been withdrawn, was used in fattening a large herd of swine, and in manuring the land for cultivation. The building at present used as a soap-boiling and fellmongering establishment still surpasses all others in the district, even in its altered uses. A flour-mill was also connected with the homestead, that served for all the neighboring stations. The motive power employed was steam, the engine being constructed on the direct rotary principle, one of the very few ever introduced and used in the colony. A large dam that still exists was made at a favorable spot on the creek, about a mile from the station. Its position and capacity are such that a running stream of water at an elevation sufficient to flood the whole of the buildings can be obtained throughout the summer. The natives at the first appearance of the whites were not very troublesome ; at the sama time it was thought advisable, without being unkind, to keep them at a respectful distance. A few sheep were occasionally missed, but no harsh measures had been resorted to to stop the depreda-tions. On the night of the 4th April, 1838, how ever, the whites at the home station were aroused from the "sweet sleep of the laboring man," for such a squatter's life was in reality in those days, by the sad intelligence that Teddy, one of the shepherds, had been murdered by the blacks. The poor fellow's mate had walked in from the hut by moonlight to tell of his companion's fate. The spot where the hut stood — between Ballaarat and Smythesdale, and about due west from Sebastopol — still records the sad tale, being named, after the incident, the "Murdering Valley." The black who committed the crime was caught, brought to the head station at Buninyong and fastened by a chain until means could be found of bringing him to justice. Escaping from custody, but unable to detach the chain from his body, he plunged, encumbered as he was into the river Leigh on his way to his old haunts ; the stream being flooded at the time the weight of the chain sank him before he could reach the other side, and he was drowned. Three changes of sites were made altogether by Messrs Learmonth before the present homestead was entered upon. The first store on the site of the present township of Buninyong was erected in somewhere about 1841 or 1845, and kept by Mr Veitch, and the first church and school, under the auspices of Mr Hastie, about 1847. The foregoing is the history in brief of Buninyong up to the time when the busy hum of the diggers began to be heard. The first Victorian alluvial gold-field of sufficient import ance to create confidence in the minds of the public was discovered on the 10th August, 1851, on Learmonth's run, about a mile aud a half from the township, by a person named Hiscock, after whom the diggings were named. Gold was early traced on the station, even quite close to the house, but it was then deemed a very unwelcome discovery, and kept as quiet as possible. It was not till auriferous leads were found to enter the property from several different quarters that permission was given to mine on the land itself, and then only on a limited scale. This portion of our narrative brings us down to the period when the first projectors of the Buninyong Gold Mining Company began their operations. Hitherto the land had been occupied solely in growing wool from the ordinary sheep, the miner was now to come in and divide the heritage with the squatter, that he might search for and recover the far-famed Golden Fleece.[10]
- HISTORY OF BUNINYONG.
- ADDRESS GIVEN BY MR J. W. BLIGHT.
- When the State School scholars were out "on their nature study excursion at Buninyong, on Friday, Mr J. W. Blight, headmaster of the Mount Pleasant School, gave a history of "Old Buninyong.” The history, as given by Mr Blight, is as follows; — It has been said that Australia has no history. This in a sense is partly true, for she is only now forming it. There are no ruins of old castles and buildings, not even any roads of ancient construction We have, it is true, heaps of tailings which remind us of they gold rushes in the fifties, but some of these again may be of recent date. What a pity we could not take you to-day to the first shepherd’s hut, or the first clergy man’s chapel, the first- slab, school-house. Wouldn't it interest us to handle the dish which panned, off the first sample of gold or the first miner's cradle. These are now of the past. Let us picture, to ourselves Buninyong of 65 years ago. In imagination you must then see trees, eucalypti, of- great’ height and girth. Some of the trees from Buninyong to Bullarook forest were comparable to the trees found in recent years in Gippsland. What lovely, herbage for sheep and cattle would be found on the undulating country and in the plains beyond.. The colonial grass, which in many parts has been supplanted by English and other kinds, was then of a tussock nature, similar to the grass still found surrounding the mount. There were no roads or fences, only tracks through the forest, which served as communication between Geelong then called Corio, and Portland. The Geelong road, as now called, was then, known as the Portland road. The only stopping-place between Buninyong and Corio was Meredith. This track then, went to Carngham and continued to Portland. In the forties Buninyong consisted of sheep runs. The centre post which indicated the division was then placed near the present free library. The Learmonths had the territory to the south, Jock Winter the land to the west, Fisken the pasturage to tho north, and Scott the fertile soil to the west. Fences for a considerable period were unknown, and a ploughed line was sufficient to mark the runs. Learmonth's station to the south, embracing what has been known as the Buninyong Estate was in its day a model station. Even in those early times, the necessary cereals and other products for household purposes were cultivated, and irrigation, in a small way of course, instituted. The employes on the station mostly came from Tasmania. To this home station were driven the flocks from other, parts of Victoria, to be shorn and killed. Their carcases were melted down, and the fat and skins were exported from Geelong. Bullock drays (not waggons) were the vehicles used to and from the station. To the consumer then, the price of mutton was not nearly as high as it is now. The huts of the sawyers and splitters were built in 1841, and Buninyong begins from that period. Of course, the natives were in considerable numbers, Buninyong being the centre for a tribe. The natives in the early period were harmless, but after wards they became expert thieves, and sometimes were very treacherous. Coming to 1847, we find that Buninyong consisted of the church (Presbyterian), one store, one hotel (Jamieson's), and two blacksmiths’ shops. The first school was opened by the Rev. Thos. Hastie. In that slab building assembled the sons and daughters of the squatters, together with the children of his employees. But now the scene has changed. The squatters children now attend secondary schools, whilst the employees’ children attend the primary. The Rev. T. Hastie was therefore the village schoolmaster and the village preacher. Well might he have quoted Goldsmith, and said “Sweet Buninyong, loveliest village, of the plain,’’ etc. We somehow think he was not "passing rich” on £ — a year. His parish extended from Batesford, to Egerton and Clunes, and from centre to circumference was very extensive. The site of the old Presbyterian chapel was on the roadside, towards the mount, about half a mile from the township. The Presbyterian church celebrated a most successful diamond jubilee this year; The Rev. Thos. Mabin is the present minister. The other school masters in succession were M’lver, Ballytine, Pye, and Sermon. Buninyong was inhabited long before Ballarat; hence its name of “Ancient Village.” The first medical mam who settled at Buninyong was Dr Power, no other doctor being nearer than Geelong. We come now to an important epoch in the history of Buninyong, and also of the state, the gold discovery of ’5l. Near the cemetery is a stone obelisk on which is inscribed the name of Hiscocks, the discoverer of the first gold. Hiscock one evening after a shower of rain picked up a piece of quartz, and on examination found it peppered with fine gold. This delighted the other members of his party, and on the succeeding day they secured two milk dishes from the home station, washed some surface gravel, and found the precious metal. After a day or two the proceeds were taken to Corio, and the news rapidly spread. Mr Jas. Oddie, an old pioneer of Ballarat, followed aboutthis period. Gold was found at Ballarat a little later - in the same year, and also at Clunes. Things now began to hum; and side by side with the miner worked the clerk or the banker, the tradesman and mechanic by the side of the barrister. Even the teacher left Mr Hastie's school to try his luck at fossicking. Jumping a period of a few years Buninyong rapidly grew till at one period it numbered from six to eight thousands, which, included the district of Hard Hills, Scotchman’s, Black-lead, and Cambrian Hill. Buninyong to-day number about 1300, and is passing under a cloud of depression, but from this quiet stage we hope the time is not far distant when it will regain its population and become again progressive. The height of the mount as given by Mr Jas. Bonwick, inspector of schools, is 2800 feet. The height of the railway station 1471, which leaves the mount only 1329 feet. Ballarat Railway Station is 1416 feet. Bullato, the highest in Victoria, 2152 feet while the Melbourne is only 32 feet above-the sea level. Buninyong then has an advantage over-Ballarat of' 55 feet.. The native name was Bunning-yowang— Bunning meaning knee, yowang a hill. The natives saw a resemblance to a man lying down with his knees up, Warrenheip (emu feathers), - _ so called because the ferns and vegetation resembled feathers. Burrumbeat means 'muddy water'. Looking from the summit of the mount, the township, which nestles at the foot, is very picturesque and will compare for variety of scenery with any inland village in Victoria. It has been called the garden of Ballarat, which it supplies with fruit and vegetables. Although only seven miles from Ballarat it is recognized that flowers and fruit are in season about a fortnight earlier. There are five churches, six hotels, tannery, buttery factory and library. The public buildings comprise town hall, post office, and State school. ...[11]
Municipal Facts
09 July 1858 - created a district
16 February 1864 - Proclaimed a Shire
15 April 1859 - proclaimed a borough. [12]
01 October 1915 - amalgamated with the Shire of Buninyong. [13]
| BUNINYONG JUBILEE. - SOME REMINISCENCES BUNINYONG, Saturday. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the proclamation of the borough of Buninyong, the mayor (Councillor David Kerr) invited a large and representative gathering to a banquet in the council-chambers. Parliament was represented by Messrs. J. M'Donald and F Brawn, - M.L.C.-, and Mr. M'Grath, M.L.A. Ballarat was represented by its, mayor (Councillor Pearse) and Councillor Levy; and about 50 other gentlemen of the various commercial, legal, and mining interests of the district. Of the original 174 residents who signed the petition for Buninyong to be raised to the dignity of a borough, only four are alive, and one of them, Mr. John Thomas, was present. An apology was received from the Prime Minister (Mr. Deakin), regretting his inability to attend. The mayor of Ballarat City (Councillor Pearse) proposed "The Jubilee" of Buninyong, coupled with the name of the mayor. The mayor responded, and stated that Buninyong was one of the oldest and best known townships of the early days. There was a store and blacksmith's shop as early as 1851. The store was kept by Mr. Creswick, after whom the town of Creswick was named. Gold was discovered in Buninyong in 1851, by Hiscock, and later a large influx of population took place, but even before that Sales of land took place in the township, which brought £500 per acre, and another block a little larger brought, £1,000. The latter block was recently sold for £15. He has been in Buninyong since 1854 and a councillor for over 32 years. (Hear, hear.) The mayor of Ballarat Town (Councillor Levy) proposed "The Borough Council," to which Councillors J. V. Wilson and Sleeman responded. Councillor J. Ogilvie proposed "The Old Pioneers." Mr. J. S. Thomas responded. He was with Hiscock when he found the first gold, and, having served his time, with a goldsmith in London, he improvised a retort. They took the gold to Geelong, and sold it. This was the first sale of gold in Victoria. There was about 2½oz.' The gathering ended with the singing of "Auld Lang Syne."[14] |
Buninyong Road Board Chairmen (1858-1862)
The Buninyong Roads Board was established in 1959.[15]
In the elections Buninyong Road Board elections of 1862 Archibald Fisken, George Innes, Selkirk and Robert Lamb were returned.[16]
| # | Chairman | Term |
|---|---|---|
| Archibald Fisken | 1859-1861 | |
| Dr Charles Kenworthy | 1861–1862 | |
| John Flockhart | 1862 | |
| Archibald Fisken | 1862-1865 |
Buninyong Municipality
| # | Chairman | Term |
|---|---|---|
| Thomas Shepherd | 1859-1863 |
Borough of Buninyong Mayors (1863–1915)
| # | Mayor | Term |
|---|---|---|
| Peter Hedrick | 1863–1865 | |
| John Bishop | 1865–1868 | |
| W. Saunders | 1868-1870+ | |
| Robert Allan | 1870–1875 | |
| A. Walker | 1875–1876 | |
| Andrew Charles Davies | 1876-1878 | |
| William Augustus Sparling | 1878–1879 | |
| Peter Fowler | 1879-1881 | |
| Edmund Wren | 1881-1882 | |
| Peter Fowler | 1882-1883 | |
| Henry Mander Greaves | 1883-1884 | |
| David Mortimer Davies | 1884-1887 | |
| John Milner | 1887–1888 | |
| Peter Hedrick | 1888–1889 | |
| William Whykes | 1889–1890 | |
| David Kerr | 1890–1891 | |
| John Peter Wilson | 1891–1892 | |
| Henry Mander Greaves | 1892–1893 | |
| William Whykes | 1894–1895 | |
| Thomas Caffrey | 1895–1896 | |
| David Kerr | 1896-1897 | |
| Robert Graham | 1897–1898 | |
| John Peter Wilson | 1898–1899 | |
| Henry Mander Greaves | 1899–1900 | |
| Daniel Phelan | 1900–1901 | |
| Arthur Henry Coxall | 1901–1902 | |
| David Kerr | 1902–1903 | |
| John Peter Wilson | 1903–1904 | |
| James Howard | 1904–1905 | |
| Warren Speak | 1905–1906 | |
| Harry Foster Sleeman | 1906–1907 | |
| William Henry Noack | 1907–1908 | |
| David Kerr | 1908–1910 | |
| John Ogilvie | 1910-1911 | |
| Daniel Phelan | 1910-1911 | |
| Warren Speak | 1912–1913 | |
| Ernest Maxwell Tonkin | 1913–1914 |
Shire of Buninyong Presidents (1864– )
The People
See also
Mining in Buninyong - Mining companies in Buninyong - Mining gullies in Buninyong - Mining gutters in Buninyong - Mining leads in Buninyong - Mining reefs in Buninyong
Places
Events
MarmalAshes
Businesses
Box Factory
Buninyong Bakery
People
Andrew Charles Davies, tanner (<1887>)
Graham Davies & Co., tanners (<1887>)
Thomas Fasham, blacksmith (<1858>)
George Glenister, coachbuilder (<1868>)
Samuel Goode, printer (<1887>)
William Graham, currier (<1887>)
James Holmes, baker, (<1858>)
Henry Mander Greaves, draper (<1887>)
J. Higgins, draper (<1887>)
Thomas Jackson, blacksmith (<1858>)
J. Kelsall, soap and candle maker (<1887>)
J. J. Kelsall, tanner (<1887>)
Jno. Kelsall Sr., tanner (<1887>)
David Kerr – Kerr’s Jams
John Kirby, baker (<1858>)
W. B. Lucke – Blacksmith and Wheelwright – ploughs on display in old Butter Factory
James Murdoch, baker (<1858>)
Robert Mutch, blacksmith (<1858>)
Ralph Parsons, baker and pastrycook (<1887>)
Rowbottom and Co., baker (<1858>)
William Sayers, cooper (<1858>)
Thomas Shepherd, brewer (<1858>)
John Thomas, tanner (<1887>)
Andrew Walker, tanner (<1887>)
J. Wood, draper (<1887>)
References
- ↑ Victorian Municipal Directory, 1878.
- ↑ Courier Supplement, 10 June 1967.
- ↑ W.B. Withers, History of Ballarat and Some Reminiscences, Ballarat Heritage Services, 1999.
- ↑ City of Ballarat Heritage Study (Stage 2) April 2003: Thematic History, p.A1
- ↑ 1876 'GREAT FIRE AT BUNINYONG.', Portland Guardian (Vic. : 1876 - 1953), 10 November, p. 3 Edition: EVENINGS., viewed 20 September, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article63336842
- ↑ Victorian Municipal Directory, 1878.
- ↑ Victorian Municipal Directory, 1878.
- ↑ The North Eastern Ensign (Benalla, VIC. : 1872 - 1938), Tuesday 22 January 1895, page 2. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article71552711
- ↑ Courier Supplement, 10 June 1967.
- ↑ The Age, 04 February 1858.
- ↑ Ballarat Star, 09 April 1908.
- ↑ Victorian Municipal Directory, 1878.
- ↑ Courier Supplement, 10 June 1967.
- ↑ The Argus, 21 June 1909.
- ↑ Shire of Buninyong: 1858-1983.
- ↑ Griffiths, Tom, Three Times Blest, Buninyong Historical Society, 1988.
External Links
--Beth Kicinski 11:10, 16 July 2012 (EST); --Sallyanne Doyle 20:27, 21 February 2013 (EST); --C.K.Gervasoni 12:05, 4 March 2014 (EST); --Clare K.Gervasoni 10:25, 27 July 2023 (AEST)