6 
The Queensland Naturalist January, 1939 
“Durhamboi,” which is their name for the kangaroo rat.. 
He was an expert tree climber and attended the Bunya 
feasts with his tribe. 
In 1838, Andrew Petrie, who held the position of fore- 
man of works at the settlement on Moreton Bay, was 
guided by friendly natives to a place where Bunya trees 
grew, which probably was on the Blackall Range, which 
was then known as the “Bunnia Bunnia” Range. He 
procured a sample of the timber with which he was much 
impressed, and made a sketch of the tree. After this it 
became known in the settlement as Petrie’s Pine or pinus 
peiriana, on account of his enthusiasm for the tree, 
although it had not been brought to the notice of the 
botanical authorities. In May, 1842, the year of the open- 
ing of Brisbane to free settlers, Mr. H. S. Russell, with a 
Mr. Joliffe and a Mr. Drottesloy, set out from Brisbane 
to examine the country further up the coast. They were 
on the lookout for suitable country in which to form graz- 
ing properties. They were particularly interested in the 
Wide Bay district, and had been commissioned to report 
on the coast as far north as Port Curtis. Mr. Petrie, in 
his character of foreman of works, was at the same time 
being sent by the Governor to find the place where the 
Bunya pine was said to grow, and was then to make a full 
report on it. This place was on the banks of a river a 
little north of the river called “Morouchidor. ” It was 
arranged then that the two parties should combine and go 
together. The boat was a crude whaleboat, built by a 
convict and rowed by five convicts, and was provided 
with a small sail. Unfortunately, some time after leav- 
ing Brisbane, it was discovered that Petrie had forgotten 
to put the sextant on board, and the party was unable to 
make a number of the observations it had intended. 
On reaching the Maroochy River they were unable to 
cross the bar owing presumably to the surf and the shallow 
water, but later landed a few miles to the north in. a small 
bay near Noosa Head, so that they w^ere unable to proceed 
up the river in search of the Bunya Pine. The blacks at 
their landing place informed the party that a white man 
(Bracefell) was living with a tribe about two days’ 
journey away, and Petrie sent him a note by one of these 
natives. Three days later Bracefell arrived and was per- 
suaded to accompany the expedition. But he only agreed 
to this after being assured that Logan was no longer in 
charge of the settlement at Brisbane, which to the blacks 
was known as “Meginchen.” The party then proceeded 
north to Fraser’s Island and Wide Bay, and pushed up 
