Historical Australian Towns: Buninyong, VIC: Overlooked by An Extinct Volcano

Buninyong, Victoria, Australia, is 11 km from Ballarat, on the road to Geelong. The town lies at the foot of Mt Buninyong, an old volcano.

Keyeet Balug Clan of The Wathaurang (or Wada Warrung) People

The Keyeet Balug clan of the Wada Wurrung (or Wathaurong) tribe occupied the Mount Buninyong area. An aboriginal burial site was located here in the 1860s, and more recently, stone tools have been found.

The area was known as 'Bun-a-yong' by the Wathaurung people, meaning 'place of the smoke' or 'man lying down with bent knees'.

The boomerang is recognised by many as a significant cultural symbol of Australia. Shields were mainly used by Aboriginal warriors to defend themselves in dispute battles, often for territory.

A lot of information about this clan came from William Buckley, a convict, who in December 1803, lived with a Victorian Aboriginal group, commonly identified as the Wadawurrung. Read: The Life And Adventures Of William Buckley - Archive.org

WILLIAM BUCKLEY. We continue our extracts from the Life of My not being able to talk with them [the natives] they did not seem to think at all surprising—my having been made white after death, in their opinion, having made me foolish; however, they took considerable pains to teach me their language, and expressed great delight when I got hold of a sentence, or even a word, so as to pronounce it somewhat correctly; they then would chuckle and laugh, and give me great praise. I now became a tolerably efficient sportsman, being able to throw the spear, and handle the tomahawk very adroitly. They also instructed me in every art they knew. They taught me to skin the kangaroo and opossums with muscle-shells, in the same way sheep are dressed with the knife ; to stretch and dry them in the sun ; to prepare the sinews for sewing them together for rugs ; and to trim them with pieces of flint. I became also expert at catching eels, by spearing them in the lakes and rivers ; but in the latter they generally catch them with lines—the bait being a large earthworm. Having these worms ready, they get a piece of elastic bark and some long grass, on which they string them ; this is tied to a rod and as the eel, after biting, holds on tenaciously, he is thrown, or rather jerked, upon the bank in the same way as boys catch the crayfish in England. Some of these eels are very fine and large. They are generally—and more easily—caught by the natives during the night, and are eaten toasted. They used to take me out on calm evenings to teach me how to spear salmon, bream, &c. Their manner is to get some very dry sticks, cut them into lengths of ten or twelve feet, tie several of these together into a kind of faggot, and then light the thickest end; with this torch blazing in one hand, and a spear in the other, they go into the water, and the fish seeing it crowd round and are easily killed and taken. This—as the reader is perhaps aware—is the general practice throughout all the world; and I mention the custom merely as one amongst others. They cook their fish by roasting, but they do so somewhat more carefully than their other food; for they put thick layers of green grass on the hot ashes, and lay their fish upon them, covering them with another layer, and then some hot ashes upon the top. In this way they bake as well—but not so cleanly—as in an oven. Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), Thursday 27 March 1856

1830s

The first explorers in the area were part of a group that included Thomas Livingstone Learmonth and Henry Anderson, who sighted the area in August 1837.

In 1837-1838, squatters began arriving, including the Learmonth brothers, who established a sheep station.

Port Phillip Gazette (Vic. : 1838 - 1845), Saturday 14 September 1839

1840s

A store was built in 1841, near the junction of roads from Geelong and Melbourne to Ballarat.

Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954)

The original Crown Hotel inn building, established in 1842 by John Veitch, was the first solid structure in Buninyong.

In 1845, Buninyong Post Office opened, initially known as Bunnenyong.

Reverend Thomas Hastie established a church and the first inland boarding school at Buninyong, in 1848.

1850s

Australia's population nearly quadrupled during the gold rush period, surging from approximately 430,000 in 1851 to 1.7 million by 1871.

Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957)

Geelong Advertiser (Vic. : 1847 - 1851), Thursday 14 August 1851

Thomas Hiscock,with his discovery of gold outside the town of Buninyong, helped set off the gold rush

On June 27, 1851, Buninyong was proclaimed a town.

August 12, 1851 Gold was discovered near Buninyong, leading to a gold rush in the region. Buninyong developed as a service town for the area.

DARING HIGHWAY ROBBERY NEAR BUNINYONG One of th emost daring acts of highway robbery under arms that it has been our lot to record recently was perpetrated near Buninyong, at mid-day, on Saturday last. At about half-past eleven in the forenoon two miners belonging to the company working in Mr. Learmonth's paddock, on the Scotchman's Lead, were proceeding to Buninyong to make some purchases for the company. When about half way between the Scotchman a and Buninyong, at the distance of half a mile only from the township, on the high road, they were suddenly set upon by four ruffians who presented fire-arms and compelled them to stand. Three of the robbers had their faces blackened, and the fourth wore a mask. They proceeded to strip the two miners of all they had about them that was valuable, skins £4 10s. in cash. On finding they had with them only this sum, the robbers exclaimed, " My God ! only four pounds ten — never mind, we'll have your swag yet, " intimating that they expected to have found upon them the results of the company's labour during the week, amounting to some two hundred ounces of gold, which it was their custom to send in every Saturday to Buninyong to sell. The robbers then tied the two men together, fastened them to a tree and made off into the bush. Eventually the men succeeded in freeing themselves from their bonds, and one returned to the claim and the other went forward to Buninyong and gave the alarm to the police. ASydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Tuesday 27 July 1858

Labor Call (Melbourne, Vic. : 1906 - 1953)

THE- FIRST GOVERNMENT ESCORT. The Government m 1851 determined upon organising a weekly armed escort for the snfe conveyance of gold from Buninyong to Geefong, and thence per steamer to Melbourne. It was to leave Buninyong every Tuesday at 6 a.m., arriving in 'Geelong at 4 p.m., and the following morning start for Melbourne, where it was due at 3.30 p.m. All gold to be so sent was to be forwarded to Buninyong by 4p.m. of the Monday whore an authorised officer would take charge of it. Previous to receiving it ho was to have it accurately weighed in the presence of tho bringer, and ' then tie it up in a leather bag which was to be sealed, and labelled with the weight,' the name of sender and consignee, and whether resident at Melbourne or Geelong. Tho depositor was to receive a receipt containing all the labelled particulars. Thore were to be two boxes in which the gold would be secured, viz., 1 for Geelong, and 1 for Melbourne. On reaching Geelong both boxes were to be placed in charge of the police magistrate, who was next morning to deliver the Melbourne box to tho officer ih charge of the escort, who was to duly hand it over to the Colonial Treasurer. Tho consignees would receive their gold at Geelong" and Melbourne upon producing their authority, signing a receipt, and paying the escort charge of one per cent, on washed gold, to be estimated at the rate of L3 por oz ; and on gold mixed with a larger portion of stone at the rata of L2 10s por cent. Every precaution was to be taken fur tho safety of the escorted gold but in tho event of loss the Government was not to be responsible for it. Mount Alexander Mail (Vic. : 1854 - 1917)

Gold escort troopers, Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946)

Buninyong was incorporated as a borough on July 15, 1859.

1860s

Buninyong Botanic Gardens was established in 1861

.In 1861-1862, the town's population reached approximately 1,200, with five hotels, four churches, one bank and three schools.

Local flour miller Robert Allen bought some land in 1856 and erected the Institute building. In 1861 he donated the building to the town.

Star (Ballarat, Vic. : 1855 - 1864), Thursday 18 December 1862

A bluestone water reservoir built in 1860, later became a swimming pool from 1872 to the 1930s.

Buninyong Railway Station,Victoria, 1866, SLVIC

1870s

Group of Miners & Owners at the Imperial Mine, Buninyong, Victoria, circa 1870, Museums Victoria

By 1871 there were 2281 people and 20 hotels at Buninyong.

Buninyong Bowling Club, established 1872, is one of the oldest bowling clubs in Australia.

Ballarat Courier (Vic. : 1869 - 1900; 1914 - 1918), Monday 27 January 1873

A family in front of a house with a shingle roof. There is elaborate lacework on the verandah. It may have been known as 'Maisonette House'.1875, Museums Victoria (Mossmont House and Garden in Buninyong) Francis Moss supplied trees to the Buninyong Botanic Gardens and Cemetery, and his work influenced horticulture across Victoria and beyond.

1880s

Australasian Sketcher (Adelaide,SA : 1874 - 1885), Saturday 19 June 1880

Henry Joseph Desoza was a wealthy philanthropist who made his fortune by both speculation and the leasing of both land and machinery to gold mining companies. One such enterprise was named the Desoza Freehold, from which Desoza received royalties. Desoza himself never held shares in The Desoza Freehold or any other mine he helped finance relying instead on the royalty system. In a peculiar ceremony in 1883 he was crowned with a circlet of gold mined from The Desoza Freehold. Thereafter Desoza was known as The Gold King of Buninyong

Construction of Buninyong Town Hall, a combined town hall and courthouse, began on 30 August 1886.

Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate (NSW : 1876 - 1954), Monday 18 October 1897

A railway from Ballarat to Buninyong was opened, enhancing transport and trade in 1889.

The Buninyong Line (also known as 'Bunny Hop Line', ran south from Ballarat to Buninyong. The line was opened on 11 September 1889, with traffic commencing the following day.

1900s

Group of Workers in Front of Framework for New Stamp Battery House, Imperial Mine, Buninyong, Victoria, circa 1900, Museums Victoria

Children in Front of Levi Butcher's Refreshment Rooms, Buninyong, Victoria, circa 1905, Museums Victoria

CROWN HOTEL, BUNINYONG, VICTORIA - 1906, Kaye

Albert Butcher in a horse and buggy having just returned from a 250-mile trip over Black Spur to the Goulburn River, Yea and back through Whittlesea and Melbourne.
Buninyong, Victoria, 1912, Museums Victoria

WWI

50th Anniversary of the Wesleyan Church, Scotchman's Lead, Buninyong, Victoria, 1914, Museums Victoria

SERGEANT W. R. LORENSINI, D.C.M. Mrs W. R. Lorensini, of Burwood, 705 Dana street, Ballarat, has been notified through the Rev. Dean Lewis, that her husband, Sergt W. R. Lorensini, D.C.M. has died of wounds received in France on the 28th September, 1918. He was 27 years of age, and a fine stamp of Aus-tralian manhood. Prior to enlisting he and a brother carried on farming pur-suits at Mount Buninyong, where his par-ents reside. He as at one time a play-ing member of the Imperial and Ballarat football teams. He left for the Front with the 39th (Ballarat) Battalion. On ar-riving in England he was transferred to the 10th Light Mortar Battery. The fallen soldier was an native of Scotsburn, and leaves a widow and daughter. For gallantry in action he was awarded the D.C.M. Ballarat Courier (Vic. : 1869 - 1900; 1914 - 1918), Wednesday 16 October 1918

PRIVATE S. J. ELDRIDGE. Pte S. J. (Jim) Eldridge, killed in action, on 29th September, was a fine type of Australian manhood. He was the young-est son of Mrs and the late Mr Jesse Eld-ridge, of Buninyong. He enlisted in January, 1918, and was 38 years of age. He was very popular among a large circle of friends for his genial disposition and his musical abilities. Pte Eldridge leaves a wife and two young children with whom much sympathy is felt. He was born at Hiscocks, and educated at the Buninyong State school.Ballarat Courier (Vic. : 1869 - 1900; 1914 - 1918), Wednesday 30 October 1918

1920s

Buninyong Main Street, Vic, Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), Saturday 17 January 1925

H.V. McKay Pty Ltd, Farm Equipment Manufacture & Field Trials, Buninyong, Victoria, Jan 1926, Museums Victoria

Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), Friday 8 February 1929

Sun News-Pictorial (Melbourne, Vic. : 1922 - 1954; 1956), Friday 5 July 1929

1930s

Sun News-Pictorial (Melbourne, Vic. : 1922 - 1954; 1956), Saturday 12 September 1931

HEROES OF MINE TRAGEDY Move To Be Made For RecognitionBALLARAT, Wednesday. — It is expected that the heroism of John Silvey and William R. Sandford, who made a vain attempt to rescue two men from a foul mine shaft yesterday, will be brought before the Royal Humane Society.Their bravery was the greater because they knew exactly the risks they were taking.The district coroner (Mr P. H. U. Elliget, P.M.) formally opened today an inquest into the deaths of the two men who were overcome by the foul air at the Loco Extended mine, two and a half miles from Buninyong, yesterday. A jury of seven was sworn in. The victims were Arthur Albert Dunstan, 38, and Albert Berger, 68. Robert Henry Drummond, a work mate of the victims, who was in Ballarat seeking ventilating equipment at the time of the tragedy, gave evidence of identification of the two bodies. Dunstan was a widower with three children, and Berger has left a widow but no family. The Coroner ordered a post-mortem examination, and adjourned the inquest to March 3, at 2.30 p.m. Inspector Wallace, of the Mines De-partment, inspected the shaft today. Sandford is 60, and is an experienced miner. The party had just bought explosive with a view to breaking into the lode to-day. There they hoped to get gold-bearing stone. GUARDING AGAINST FOUL AIR Advice to Prospectors The Secretary for Mines (Mr W. Baragwanath) said today that the Bunin yong tragedy emphasised the danger of any of the thousands of men who werenow prospecting in Victoria entering shafts before taking reasonable pre-cautions to ascertain whether the shaft was safe and the air good. Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 - 1954), Wednesday 15 February 1933

Buninyong Rand Gold Mine, Buninyong, Victoria, 1935, Museums Victoria

Buninyong Cricket Team, 1936-37 Premiers, VIC, Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), Saturday 4 December 1937

Buninyong, (Bungaree Association) football. Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), Saturday 24 December 1938

Taking part in the Country W omen s GolJ Championship; Misses Audrey Allnutt (Buninyong). Nancy Heinz (Ballaral). Dorothy and Rosalie Andre (Ballaral), on the course at Buninyong yesterday.Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), Friday 24 June 1938

1940s and WWII

Lady members of the Golf Club: Mesdames C. Sinclair, H. Stead, Miss M. Mark, Mesdames H. Corbett, S. Scott (Pres.), A. Wallace, W. Gear, A. D. Moverley, Mr W. J. Neagle 'Sec. I. Mrs J. Slythe.Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), Wednesday 14 July 1948

Top. Members of the Bowling Club. — From left, front row: Messrs R. Shearer,N. Thornton 'Sec. I, C. Freeman (V.P. ), W. Roberts, W. J. Neagle,W. Thorpe. Back row: Messrs G. Turner, J. Odgers, L. McColl, C. R. Isaac, W. Brown. Bottom. C.W.A. Members: Mesdames C. Rae Treas. >,E. Attwood, A. C. Karmouche 'V.P.1, A. G. Bath, C. G. Sinclair 'See.' , C. R. fssac, N.Thornton 'Pres.', W. Etdridge, Miss M. Hunter.Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), Wednesday 14 July 1948

Buninyong Football Team. — E, Rowarth 'Capt.) in front.Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), Wednesday 14 July 1948

1950s

Christmas party for Buninyong kiddies, VIC, Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), Wednesday 31 December 1952,

Buninyong Urban Fire Brigade: Messrs G. White (capt.), A. G. Bath lieut. ) , R. Odgers, N. Thornton,I B. Hayes, L. Coad, J. Hayes.Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), Wednesday 31 December 1952

Buninyong Gold and White Softball Club team: Misses Betty Burke, Lorna Silvey, Frances Anderson (capt.), Doreen Anderson, Kath Eason, Gwen Anderson, Dorothy Eason, Elva Eason (v. capt), Ruth Eason (sec.) Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), Wednesday 31 December 1952

Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), Tuesday 16 October 1956

WONDERFUL AUSTRALIA GRASS CONSERVATION is the usual practice in most parts of rural Australia, for grass is a valuable food for cattle and sheep and is worth a small fortune to graziers. The bales stacked securely in paddock or barn provide a supplementary feed for the stock, and are a safeguard against the threat of droughts or lean periods. Years ago farmers mowed grass and piled it loosely into stacks. Now, storage is made easier by pressing the grass into bales. In this picture the grass is being loaded ready for stacking in a paddock near Buninyong, about 10 miles from Ballarat, Victoria.Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982), Wednesday 8 August 1956

1980s

De Soza Park was opened in 1983.

2000s

In 2007, Buninyong began hosting segments of the Australian National Road Race Championships.

The population at the 2021 census was 3,797.

Around Buninyong

The original Crown Hotel inn building was established in 1842 by John Veitch and was the very first structure in Buninyong, VIC

The original brick church-school at the rear of Holy Trinity Anglican Church Buninyong, VIC, was ready for school and services on 3 September 1857

Holy Trinity Anglican Church, built from bluestone church at 706 Warrenheip St Buninyong, VIC opened in 1862

Heritage house, Buninyong, VIC

The Buninyong Town Hall was designed to fill the dual role of town hall and courthouse. The Victorian Italianate style building was started in 1886

Buninyong Town Hall, VIC, stage area

The Buninyong Brewery is a bluestone building built as a brewery in the 1850s

Buninyong RSL Hall, VIC, was officially opened in 1946

Buninyong Post Office, VIC, opened in October 1873 and closed in 2000

Buninyong Uniting Church, VIC, erected - AD 1860

Former Nugget or Railway Former Railway, Learmonth Street, Buninyong, VIC, built 1904

Buninyong Bowling Club, VIC, was formed in 1872 and the old club house was replaced in the 1950s

The Old Buninyong Library (1861) is now the home of the Buninyong Visitor Centre, VIC.
This stone fronted wooden Institute building was erected in 1861 and donated to the town by Robert Allen.

Mossmont House and Garden in Buninyong, VIC

The former National Bank built in 1868 and closed in 1974, Buninyong, VIC

The former Eagle Hotel at 507 Warrenheip Street, Buninyong, VIC (is recorded in an 1862 directory for Buninyong, and most probably was constructed shortly before this date)