9 
immense and fertile tractis usually approached only by three 
routes—that from Melbourne to Sale, that from Mancroo 
in New South Wales, and that from Omeo to Bairnsdale. 
“In 1846 P. C. Buckley left Tongeo and occupied Prospect, where Merriman’s 
Creek runs into the sea. 
“In 1841 McDonnell Glengary formed Woodside. 
“The first cattle were shipped in 1842 from Port Albert to Tasmania; and 
provisions were brought round by that place from Sydney for McMillan’s party ; 
before that all the supplies used to be carried from Maneroo via Omeo and Bruthen 
to Nuntin. 
“Bruthen was called Toulon by McMillan. Ivilmoric was called Toulouse. 
“In 1838, early in the year, Edward Baylis, on behalf of Kenworthy and Lord, 
travelled down through Willis, Suggan Buggan, Woolgulmerang, Gelantipy, 
Murrindal, to Buchan ; when he got back to Maneroo he gave such a glowing 
description of it that John Rhodes Wilkinson, who then rented the Honorable 
Eraser Mo watt’s cattle, and having no station, started at once and took possession 
of Buchan in the end of 1838 or beginning of 1839. 
“When Baylis got down he bad to take Gelantipy. I had Buchan in 1845. 
In May that year I travelled through to Bruthen, and marked it. In November I 
cut the road and took down two bullock drays loaded with wool. 
“ The first time I ever went to Bruthen was in 1844 (in March). I had 34 men 
in the party travelling with 9,300 sheep, 220 cattle, 40 horses, and 4 bullock drays, 
and 1 horse cart ; when we got to Numlamungee I heard the blacks were bad. [ 
handed out the guns, 20 or 26. The men were boasting what they would do, 
because we had heard of so many frightful murders ; but when we got to Bruthen 
they were all gathered together in the camp, and had piled their arms against a 
tree ; it was a very hot day and the sheep were all camped. It was in the bend, 
between the Deep Creek and the Tambo. I told my blackfellow to pull his 
clothes off and come through the ferns; he did so, and yabbered some black lingo ; 
every man jack bolted. 
“ When I came down into the district the blacks were very bad ; we were the 
first who brought them in, in 181G ; we caught about 40 at Buchan ; my brother 
Norman and I and seven Omeo blacks surrounded them in the Murrindal River, 
just below the Pyramids. My blacks called out to them, and one of the wild blacks 
had a few words of English, as he had been to Maneroo—he called himself Billy 
Bradley. I killed a bullock for them, and they eat till they were sick. 
“ They did sheepwashing for me that year. 
“ Not one of these blacks had a scar on him ; for a joke, I pointed out that 
my Orneo .blacks had scars all over their chests and arms ; I had a sharp 
butcher’s knife and marked Billy Bradley with two gashes below the collar-bone ; 
no sooner had I done that than all of the others came up, one by one, dancing and 
slapping their shoulder and shouting “ Budgery mak ’em ’quaintance ; ” not that 
they understood it, but repeating, like parrots, the words 1 used in marking 
Bradley. Every black I brought in I marked like this, and the Omeo blacks, at 
their own request, cut and scarred them all over. I do not know why they do 
this, excepting that the Omeo and Maneroo blacks say it keeps the Cold out. 
