Recently an episode of Radio National’s ‘The History Listen’ discussed the kangaroo dogs that were first bred about 1800 in Sydney by crossing Scottish deerhounds with greyhounds. Their ability to hunt and kill kangaroos provided early colonists with a plentiful supply of fresh meat. As the European occupation spread so did the kangaroo dogs. First Nations people also adopted them.
From the 1830s colonial hunting clubs were formed that used the dogs to hunt kangaroos for sport. In Victoria squatters bred packs of hound and frequently invited visiting dignitaries to join in their hunts. In 1858 S.T. Gill depicted these events in a series of lithographs entitled ‘Kangaroo Hunting’.
In the late 1850s kangaroo hunts were held at Baringhup. The first reported event occurred on Tuesday 30 December 1856. ‘Sportsmen’ were invited to meet at Robert Lawrence’s Loddon Hotel (now the Loddon Store) at 8 o’clock in the morning. The hunt was considered a success when more than 10 kangaroos were bailed up and three were killed by the dogs.
Lawrence organised further hunts from his hotel as did James Bloomfield the publican at the nearby Davenham Hotel. In May 1858 Maldon-based sportsmen, led by Hugh Pettitt, the owner of the Springs Hotel, formed the Nuggetty Hunt Club. Soon, at these hunts, kangaroo dogs competed against each other with bets being placed on the outcome. Among the outstanding dogs were Hugh Pettitt’s Bomba and Turpain, a dog owned by John Lawlor of Barkers Creek.
Like many First Nations people the Dja Dja Wurrung also used kangaroo dogs. In 1860 Thomas Hannay moved to Maldon and purchased a stationery business in High Street. He had previously travelled through Western Victoria as a photographer. Among the photographs Hannay took after arriving in Maldon is one of a Dja Dja Wurrung camp near the Loddon River. The group photographed have two large, lean hounds that were almost certainly kangaroo dogs.
Locally kangaroo hunts declined in the early 1860s probably due to the introduction of European game species such as hares and rabbits that could be hunted with greyhounds and other smaller dogs. Many people however still owned kangaroo dogs and there were frequent references to them in the local press.
In March 1868 Donald Martin, head teacher at the Porcupine Flat Common School, was charged and found guilty of allowing his kangaroo dog to kill fowls owned by his neighbour George Searle. While Martin claimed his dog had never previously killed fowls, evidence was given that the dog frequently worried cows and chased young cattle. Martin was required to pay Searle damages and was also fined for keeping an unregistered dog.
This information was supplied by the Maldon Museum and Archives.
This article appeared in Tarrangower Times, 13 September 2024.
