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These are only a few quick notes from the diary of HW Bunburry on his 4 day journey during the early days of the colony guided by Monan through the south west of Noongar country from Pinjarra to Vasse. Ideally this whole diary would be transcribed, and mapped. It provides a very interesting perspective as, although it is a colonis'ts perspective with an eye to resource exploitation, the commentary on Noongar people and places seems to be from before colonists learned what misrepresentations it was in their best interests to make, and before Indigenous people in this area learned the new comers were adversaries. It describes seasonal eating, protocols for travelling through other peoples territory, smoke signalling, permanent paths and well made and maintained paperbark huts, etc. Bunburry also waxes lyrical about beauty of the landscape and the 'bush life', the ease of staying warm, how effective an easily made humpy is as a shelter, and the pleasure of throwing off cumbersome possessions, and how little else is needed to live contentedly in Australia. Despite the hospitality he recieved Bunbury later shot Noongar people. |