Bundaberg 1842-1880

Early Explorers and Settlers

In May 1842, explorer Henry Stuart Russell and 2 convicts left Brisbane to search for possible grazing land north. Russell found and named the Wide Bay River (now Mary River), and found Burnett River, but mistook it for the Boyne River, already named by Oxley.

Following his explorations, settlers and graziers headed north. Early reports of area of Burnett considered the area too hot for sheep, so no settlements occurred for another decade.

In 1847, the Government surveyor, James Charles Burnett, was told to report on the lower section of the river Russell had found in 1842. On April 1, 1847, Burnett traversed the area now known as Saltwater/Burnett Creek, and the future site of Bundaberg. He also mapped and explored areas around Burnett Heads. After his report to the Governor of NSW, the Burnett River was named by Sir Charles Fitzroy.

Early Settlers and local tribes

The early history of the Burnett district was one of conflict between the new settlers and local tribes. In 1843, early settlers abandoned the area due to Aboriginal raids, but gradually more pioneers moved into the Burnett region. Conflicts were usually caused by the dispossession of land, with prime hunting land for local tribes being used as grazing land by new settlers. Squatters' stock was a popular target for local hunting groups of Aborigines as land was cleared and local fauna disappeared.

Explorer Gregory Blaxland settled Tirroan Station, near Gin Gin, in 1847. Blaxland led a group of settlers in a retaliation raid for the deaths of 2 local shepherds in 1849. A large number of Aborigines were cornered and killed at 'the Cedars', and this incident was reported widely throughout the Burnett. In 1850, Blaxland's body was discovered hidden in a log on the banks of Gin Gin Creek, which provoked the incident known as the massacre at Paddy's Island. Native trackers, and more than 100 settlers tracked a local tribe to the Burnett River, and a major battle ensued. Conflicting reports from surviving Aboriginals and white settlers made it hard to ascertain how many aborigines were killed, hundreds were thought to have died.

First Settlers

Some of the first settlers to move into the area included the Thompsons at Walla, on the Burnett River, the Brown brothers, who owned Gin Gin Station, the Electra run in the Bundaberg region and Richard Purvis Marshall, who tendered for 3 runs in Bundaberg - Bingera 1, 2 and 3.

Early possibilities for the development of cattle grazing interested Alexander Walker , a Gayndah publican. Walker and others explored the coastal region around the Burnett, and bought the lease for Branyan Station, and the Woongarra Scrub.

The most famous of the early settlers were the Steuart brothers, who began cutting timber in the Baffle Creek area in 1866. In 1867, the Steuarts acquired 320 acres at North Bundaberg, named Woondooma, and planted sugar cane and coffee.

The birth of Bundaberg

The township of Bundaberg was laid out in Jan 1869 by John Charlton Thompson. His assistant, A.D. Edwards was given the honorary name 'Bunda', by the local tribe. According to several versions, this combined with burg (Town), or berg (Mountain) leading to the naming of the township. The town was originally planned for the North bank, where early settlement took place, but the 1870 floods convinced many that the southern bank was more suitable.

In 1873, a Progress Committee was formed, with many of the pioneer settlers making up the board of members. The committee lobbied the Government for improvements to the early infrastructure, and was the earliest form of the local Council, which would later evolve.

In 1874, Bundaberg could boast 6 stores, 4 blacksmith's forges, butchers shops, a shoemaker and a branch of the Bank of NSW. The first newspaper, The Star, began publication, followed the next year by the Bundaberg and Mt Perry Mail. On Jan 26, 1874, the North Primary School was opened with an enrolment of 20 pupils.

The floods of 1875 almost ruined the town, with an estimated damage in the region of 20,000 pounds. The overhead telegraph was extended from the Bundaberg Post Office in Targo Street to Burnett Heads, and roads were cleared and formed throughout the district. A daily mail delivery was also started.

In 1876, local identity Frederick Buss and his family settled in Bundaberg. The Post Office was re-located to the current site in Barolin Street. In 1878 the original Kennedy Bridge across Saltwater Creek opened.