Fix this text
Buninyong and District Community News Inc.
Fix this textNovember 2007.
Fix this textDistribution - 1300 copies.
Fix this textReg. No. A 0034918 L
Fix this textABN 97 574 052 024
Fix this textIssue No. 335
Fix this textFirst j ssue 26/7/1977
Fix this text'Lindersfarne.'
Fix this textBy
Fix this textRobert W. Bell.
Fix this textThis is the story of a pioneers' journey to live in Buninyong. 1840 to 1914.
Fix this textAlthough placed in a historic context, the central character, his background, his property name and his family are all fictitious
Fix this textTart 27 of a series.
Fix this textContinued from the October 2007
Fix this textedition of the Buninyong and
Fix this textDistrict Community News.
Fix this textNews reached Melbourne that in
Fix this textEngland the Parliament had finally
Fix this textpassed the necessary legislation
Fix this textproclaiming the Port District of
Fix this textNew South Wales would now be
Fix this textknown as the Colony of Victoria:
Fix this texttaking effect on the Ist1 st July 1851. at
Fix this textwhich time the Legislative Council
Fix this textwould be formed.
Fix this textIn February 1851 John Stuart was
Fix this textappalled at the ferocity of a bush
Fix this textfire that spread across Victoria.
Fix this textBeginning near Mount Macedon,
Fix this textthe fire spread rapidly, joining other
Fix this textfires to eventually reach South
Fix this textAustralia.
Fix this textKnown as Black Thursday, the fire
Fix this textleft a swathe of blackened
Fix this textlandscape, and even resulted in the
Fix this textwarming of the pools that were left
Fix this textin the nearly dry Moorabool River.
Fix this textMost of the settlers John knew had
Fix this textlost either grass or stock. [When
Fix this textone takes into consideration the
Fix this textpopulation and loss of property and
Fix this textstock Black Thursday ranks as one
Fix this textof the greatest disasters in Victorian
Fix this texthistory. Black Hill in Ballarat was
Fix this textso named because when the miners
Fix this textarrived they found the trees on the
Fix this texthill badly blackened as a result of
Fix this textthe Black Thursday conflagration,
Fix this textand named the hill as such. Auth.]
Fix this textThe tiny settlement at Buninyong
Fix this texthad altered significantly with the
Fix this textReverent Hastie in residence. Local
Fix this textsubscriptions had built him a small
Fix this textchurch and manse. As part of Mr.
Fix this textHastie’s duties, the co-educational
Fix this textboarding school was in full
Fix this textoperation with the Bedwell's as
Fix this textMaster and Matron.
Fix this textHastie was conducting services at
Fix this textboth Shelford and Buninyong and
Fix this textvisiting stations in the surrounding
Fix this textdistrict.
Fix this textIn February 1851. Edward
Fix this textHargraves found gold at Bathurst.
Fix this textNew South Wales, and this fact set
Fix this textthe emerging settlements in the Port
Fix this textPhillip District into a spin. Notable
Fix this textwas the fact that many of the
Fix this textworkers just downed tools and set
Fix this textoff to what was described as being
Fix this textan ’Eldorado'. Believing that they
Fix this textwould make a fortune overnight,
Fix this textmany were ill prepared for the
Fix this textjourney and ignorant as to the
Fix this texttechniques in finding gold.
Fix this textBecause of the fear of a mass
Fix this textexodus of the population, an
Fix this textemergency public meeting was held
Fix this textin Melbourne. This called for
Fix this textsubscriptions to offer a reward for
Fix this textthe finding of payable goldfields in
Fix this textVictoria, thus stemming the flow of
Fix this textpeople, particularly workmen and
Fix this textstation hands essential to the
Fix this textviability of the district.
Fix this textSince gold had already been found,
Fix this textthe finding and the places where
Fix this textgold had been found was kept secret
Fix this textin case the Crown determined it was
Fix this texton Crown Land, and therefore the
Fix this textproperty of the Government. With
Fix this textthe Government openly offering
Fix this textrewards, people were quick to
Fix this textindicate that there were viable gold
Fix this textfields in the area.
Fix this textThis excitement dampened the
Fix this textproposed celebrations, which
Fix this textshould have been held to mark the
Fix this textproclamation of the Colony of
Fix this textVictoria, and the fact that Charles
Fix this textLa Trobe was sworn in as the
Fix this textLieutenant Governor suffered the
Fix this textindignity of passing almost
Fix this textunobserved.
Fix this textJames Esmond, who had previously
Fix this textsought gold in California in the
Fix this textAmerican Gold Rush, recognised
Fix this textthe gold bearing potential of the
Fix this texttopography and geological features
Fix this textnear Clunes, and left a guard on his
Fix this textland to enable him to set off to
Fix this textMelbourne to claim the rewards
Fix this textbeing offered.
Fix this textAt about the time Esmond was
Fix this textreturning to Clunes. Thomas
Fix this textHiscock. the village blacksmith at
Fix this textBuninyong sent word to Geelong
Fix this textthat he had found gold a short way
Fix this textto the west of Buninyong. Hiscock
Fix this texthad been looking for gold for some
Fix this texttime prior to his making the news
Fix this textpublic through the media [Geelong
Fix this textAdvertiser. Auth].
Fix this textPuddling for gold.
Fix this textTo be continued ...
Fix this text© Copyright. Robert W. Bell. Buninyong.
Fix this text2004.
Fix this textIt's easy and takes two shakes of a lamb's tail!
With your Trove account you can:
http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-3367562043
Buninyong & District Community Association, issuing body. (1986). Buninyong and district community news Retrieved August 14, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-3367562043
Buninyong & District Community Association, issuing body. Buninyong and district community news [Buninyong, Vic.]: Buningyong and District Community News, 1986. Web. 14 August 2025 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-3367562043>
Buninyong & District Community Association, issuing body. 1986, Buninyong and district community news Buningyong and District Community News, [Buninyong, Vic.] viewed 14 August 2025 http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-3367562043
{{Citation
| author1=Buninyong & District Community Association, issuing body.
| title=Buninyong and district community news.
| year=1986
| section=volumes ; 30 cm.
| issue=Edition 335, November 2007
| location=[Buninyong, Vic.]
| publisher=Buningyong and District Community News
| url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-3367562043
| id=nla.obj-3367562043
| access-date=14 August 2025
| via=Trove
}}
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