The name Bung Bong may derive from the Aboriginal words for "swamp"[2] or for "swamp grass".[3]
History
Bung Bong Post Office opened on 1 February 1864 and closed in 1961.[4]
The old Glenmona Bridge was built over the Bet Bet Creek in 1871 and is the third oldest of its type in Victoria, (after the Hawthorn Bridge and the Redesdale Bridge). Its location is directly south of the new bridge over the Bet Bet on the Pyrenees Highway.[5]
In 1878 the Bung Bong Farmers' Club held their first "ploughing match". There were 18 entries in the competition to plough, "virgin soil, of a rich chocolate colour". It was reported, "that although the ploughmen were new to competitive trials, they showed by the excellence of their work their fitness for their calling."[6] For the 1886 (and ninth) ploughing match there were 22 entries. It was held on the Abbott property, half a mile from the Bung Bong railway station and "the attendance was large". This time, 10 entrants used double furrow ploughs with one entrant, "exhibiting Gilsman's patent rotary harrows, which attracted great attention, and were pronounced excellent implements".[7]
Bung Bong is on the Avoca railway line, to the north of the locality, where ballast was loaded from nearby basalt quarries. There was a Post Office at the Bung Bong station which opened in October 1877 and closed in June 1940.[4]
In 2017, there was a proposal to link Mildura to Portland with standard gauge track to carry grain and mineral sands. This upgrade would include the Maryborough to Ararat section of the line, past the site of the disused Bung Bong station.[16][17][18] Community action has been successful in keeping a railway level crossing on a key arterial road open, after commencement of the new rail link.[19]
The Avoca line was reopened in 2018 after being rebuilt as part of the Murray Basin Rail Project, which also extended the reach of the standard gauge network in Victoria.[20]
Schools
There was a Primary School (No. 1056) at Bung Bong which operated on the same block as the Church of England between 1872 and 1921.[21][22]
Approximately 5 km south of Bung Bong, on the Moore's Flat Road, is the now abandoned locality of Moore's Flat. There was a Moore's Flat Primary School (No. 1575).[23][24]
Heritage buildings
The Pyrenees Shire Council has documented a number of significant properties in the Bung Bong - Homebush region in the Avoca Heritage Study: 1864 - 1994 - Volume 3.[25][examples needed]
Region
Bung Bong is also a region, which has a large range of native flora and fauna.[26][27] South-East of the locality is the Bung Bong Nature Conservation Reserve which is used by bush walkers and bird watchers.[28][29]
Facilities
The Bung Bong, Wareek cemetery
Bung Bong, Wareek Cemetery
The cemetery is located on 413 Bung Bong-Rathscar Rd, Wareek. In 2017, it is being upgraded by the community with new fences and facilities.[citation needed]
Information on the interments,[30] with more details and images of the headstones - here.[31][examples needed]
Hall
Interior of the Church of England - Harvest Festival
It was built in 1876 on land donated by Mr Miller and was used for community activities including meetings of the 'Farmers Club'.[34]
The building was subsequently used as the Bung Bong Church of England.[35] While the building is now unused, the site has become a popular stopping place for caravans.[36]
At the Wareek Hall there is an honour roll of those from the Bung Bong district who fought in World War I. It contains 19 names.[37]
^"Flora"(PDF). Data From: Atlas of Victorian Wildlife, Biodiversity and Natural Resources. May 2005. Archived from the original on 19 October 2009. Retrieved 22 June 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^"Fauna"(PDF). Data From: Atlas of Victorian Wildlife, Biodiversity and Natural Resources. May 2005. Archived from the original on 19 October 2009. Retrieved 22 June 2017.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
