The Kulin People

The Bunerong and the Wawoorung clans of the Kulin nation were the original inhabitants of the Rowville and Lysterfield district.

The white settlers referred to the Bunerong people as the Western Port tribe and the Wawoorung people as the Yarra Yarra tribe.

There are stories here of the first European encounters with the aborigines. Rev James Clow, in particular, established very good relations with the tribespeople and was a strong advocate on their behalf. You will read of their customs and beliefs as well as of their everyday lives as they moved in and out of the district in their endless search for food.

• BELIEFS OF THE ABORIGINES PART 2
  

  In the September 1999 edition of the R-LC News I published an account of some of the beliefs of the aborigines who frequented the Rowvile Lysterfield area. These beliefs were recorded by William Thomas, Assistant Protector of the Aborigines, who lived with the tribes of the Woiworong and Bunerong people of the Kulin nation.
  Thomas's accounts of the aborigines were first published in Bride, Thomas (Ed.). Letters from Victoria Pioneers, Public Library of Victoria, 1898.
  

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• BELIEFS OF THE ABORIGINES PART 3
  

  In the September 1999 and April 2001 editions of the R-LC News, the local history articles reproduced William Thomas's account of the beliefs of the Aboriginal people who frequented the Rowville-Lysterfield area. William Thomas was an Assistant Protector of the Aborigines whose special duty was to care for the interests of the Woiworong (Yarra tribe) and Bunerong (Westernport tribe). Thomas's accounts of the Aborigines were first published in Bride, Thomas (Ed). Letters from Victorian Pioneers, Public Library of Victoria, 1898.
  Bryan Power
  

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• Beliefs of the Aborigines
  

  William Thomas was one of the Guardians of the Aborigines in the early years of settlement in Melbourne. In this article he relates the beliefs of the tribes people with whom he lived.

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• Beliefs of the Aborigines - Part 2
  

  In the September 1999 edition of the R LC News I published an account of some of the beliefs of the aborigines who frequented the Rowville Lysterfield area. These beliefs were recorded by William Thomas, Assistant Protector of the Aborigines, who lived with the tribes of the Woiworong and Bunerong people of the Kulin nation. Part 1 of this account can be found on the Rowville Lysterfield History Project website at www.rlcnews.org.au
  Bryan Power
  

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• Brief Account of the Aborigines of Australia Felix
  

  William Thomas was one of the Guardians of Aborigines appointed by government in the early months of the settlement of Melbourne and his particular duty was to protect the interests of the members of the Yarra Yarra and Western Port Tribes. Both tribes regularly visited the Rowville area. Thomas was a conscientious guardian who lived with the tribes and thus learned a great deal about them. Despite his best endeavours he witnessed the rapid corruption of the tribes through their exposure to some of the unpleasant features of life brought to the Port Phillip district by European settlers.

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• CLOW Rev. James Clow Writes to Governor La Trobe
  

  In July 1853, Governor Charles La Trobe sent a circular letter to a number of early settlers seeking information about the original European settlement of the Colony. Among the more than fifty replies received by La Trobe was a long letter from Rowville's first settler, Reverend James Clow, telling of the people who occupied the areas along Dandenong Creek and of his experiences with the aborigines in Rowville.

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• CUSTOMS OF THE ABORIGINES - CEREMONY OF TANDERRUM
  

  The following is the fifth account to be published in the R-LC News in recent years relating the customs and beliefs of the aborigines of the Western Port and Yarra tribes who passed through Rowville and Lysterfield as they moved around their territory in their constant search for food.
  Once again this extract is taken from the writings of William Thomas, the Assistant Protector of Aborigines, who travelled with the tribes.
  

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• Discovering the History of Rowville and Lysterfield
  

  This article highlights many interesting aspects of the history of Rowville and Lysterfield.

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• History of the Dandenong Valley Metropolitan Park Area
  

  A history of the area now popularly known as Jells Park.

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• THE HISTORY OF THE ROWVILLE-LYSTERFIELD DISTRICT
  This month's edition of the News is a very special one as it is the occasion of a triple celebration. 200th EDITION Firstly it is our community paper’s 200th edition and thus marks an achievement that few of those associated... Comments (1) Read more...

• Tirhatuan: Stories behind the Rowville-Lysterfield Ward Names
  

  At its meeting on 23 July 1996 Knox City Council decided on the names of the nine new wards that will constitute the city. The three wards covering the Rowville-Lysterfield area will be Tirhatuan, Taylor and Friberg. These names recall significant people in the history of the district and their choice by Council is to be commended. This article will tell of the establishment of Tirhatuan, the first homestead to be built in the area now known as Knox. Its first occupant, the Rev James Clow, is a very important figure in the history of Victoria.

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