HerStory

Agnes BUNTINE
Also known as: née Davidson, The Mother of Gippsland
Born: 1821
Died: 29 February 1896
Special Achievements:Pioneer, possibly first and only woman "bullocky".
Additional Information:She, and her husband, operated a small inn at Morris Creek, outside Tarraville, Victoria. 1845 - They established Bruthen Creek Station (Bruthen, Gippsland, Victoria) and a pub, the Bush Inn (Bruthen, Gippsland, Victoria), for three years, then a general store. Agnes began a carting/delivery/transport business of oxen teams to transport supplies to Victorian goldfields.
1851 - Agnes drove a bullock team, carrying butter, cheese, and a rifle, 120 miles from Port Albert, southern Victoria to Forest Creek, Sandhurst (Bendigo) goldfields. To reach the destination, she crossed “The Great Divide” (“now known as The Great Dividing Range or Australian Alps, it is Australia’s biggest mountain range and the third longest in the world”). She opened one to two stores in Forest Creek. A third store was opened at the “McIvor diggings” when a gold rush began.
Resources
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Image - Agnes Buntine, Scottish-born Australian pastoralist and bullocky
Description: Agnes Buntine (c. 1822 – 29 February 1896) Scottish-born Australian pastoralist and bullocky. Date: 1 January 1870 Source: Gippsland's trailblazer, Latrobe Valley Express Author: Unknown author This image is of Australian origin and is now in the public domain because its term of copyright has expired.
Wikimedia Commons: File:Agnes Buntine.jpg
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Image - Bruthen Creek Station
Whitworth, Robert Percy. (1870). Bailliere's Victorian Gazetteer and Road Guide: Containing the Most Recent and Accurate Information as to Every Place in the Colony. London: F.F. Bailliere. (Obtained from: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Bailli%C3%A8re_s_Victorian_Gazetteer_and_Roa/yV1ZAAAAcAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0)
F.F. Bailliere
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References
Latrobe Valley Express. "Gippsland's trailblazer". accessed 18 November 2020.
10-4 Magazine. Wright, John. "Agnes The Bullock Driver". accessed 18 November 2020.
O'Riley, Annie. "The Colourful Life of Mother Buntine". accessed 18 November 2020.
Wright, John. “Scotswoman Who Braved the Wilds of Australia”. accessed 18 November 2020.