page_title: Muttaburra
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Muttaburra / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Family of George and Edwina Bunning, 1912 Back: Mr George Edward Bunning, Neville, Mrs Edwina Mary Huey (nee Edkins). Front: Minna with Magog, Vaye (Neville's brother) and Marnie (Marion) with Gog. George Edward Bunning married Edwina Mary Huey (nee Edkins) on 26 April 1892. Minna born 17 February 1893, Marrion born 26 June 1894, Neville 22 February 1902 and twins Verdon and Walter born 19 May 1912. (DOB for Vaye, unknown).
context_page_description: Muttaburra is a town and locality in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Muttaburra had a population of 88 people. The undeveloped town of Scarrbury is within the locality.
context_section_description: Muttaburra lay on the traditional tribal lands of the Iningai. Iningai (also known as Yiningay, Muttaburra, Tateburra, Yinangay, Yinangi) is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken by the Iningai people. The Iningai language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Longreach Region and Barcaldine Region, particularly the towns of Longreach, Barcaldine, Muttaburra and Aramac as well as the properties of Bowen Downs and catchments of Cornish Creek and Alice River.
  The name of the town derived from an Iningai clan name, the Muttaburra, who were the traditional owners of this area. According to some sources, muttaburra meant “the meeting of waters” or "camping ground" or "meeting place". The area was once part of a vast inland sea.
  
  Muttaburra developed as a town in the 1870s. In the Brisbane Courier of 10 October 1877, the local correspondent noted that, 
  "The Land Commissioner has been round this way lately, and surveyed the new township, one and a half mile from Mount Cornish; its name I do not know, and I don’t think anybody else does, as it is undecided. I hear there is a store open now, also a public house, and I suppose there will be other business places shortly."
  The town was officially declared in 1878. Bruford Street, the main street, took its name from a saddler, Mr. Bruford, who established a saddlery repair shop there, in that same year. The need for other services, such as hotels, the Cobb & Co changing station, blacksmiths, banks and general stores were also soon accommodated. 50 allotments of Crown Land were made available to the public for sale by public auction at Aramac on the 18 June 1878, at which "Mr Sword, Land Commissioner, disposed of forty six town allotments situated at Muttaburra. They were one acre divisions, upset price £10. Twenty three fetched the upset price, the remainder sold at a considerable advance, two of the lots realising £50 each."
  The first post office was built in 1887 and then replaced with a modern building in 1926.
  In March 1881, the Queensland Government held a land sale, auctioning 60 town lots in the town of Scarrbury. The government had set aside 4 square miles (10 km²) of land for the town in November 1876.
  
  Muttaburra was also the scene of one of the most daring acts of cattle duffing ever performed in Australia. Henry Radford stole cattle from Bowen Downs Station and drove them 1,300 kilometres (810 mi) through the mostly unexplored Central Australia region to the Blanche Water station in northern South Australia. He sold the livestock for £5000, and was later charged with theft and tried at the Roma District Court. Despite overwhelming evidence from the prosecution and no witnesses put forward by the defence, a jury found him not guilty within an hour. He was greatly admired for crossing Central Australia unscathed. The transcript of the delivery of the verdict reads, "Judge: What is your verdict? Foreman of the Jury: We find the prisoner 'Not Guilty'. Judge: What? Foreman of the Jury: Not guilty. Judge: I thank God, gentlemen, that the verdict is yours, not mine!"
  One of the prominent early settlers to establish themselves in Muttaburra was Edward Rowland (Rofley) Edkins, who was the first Manager of Mt. Cornish, the original outstation of Bowen Downs. He was also Chairman of the Aramac Divisional Board (1882, 1886 - 1888, 1891,and 1902); a member of the Muttaburra Hospital Committee (1885); Muttaburra Jockey Club President (1891); Muttaburra Hospital Committee President (1891); and Marathon Pastoral Society President (1891). He died at Drummoyne, Sydney, on 14 August 1905. Edkins married Edwina Marion Huey, daughter of Dr Walter Huey (1797-1843) of Launceston in Tasmania.  Edwina was well known in the district, and also a composer of a number of musical works, related to the area, including Malboona Gavotte, Wee Bimba: waltz, The Women of the West and the LC5 Waltz She was remembered as "the most kindly of kind hostesses and the wife of one of the most outstanding men of the pastoral industry in Australia".
  in 1884 a hospital was bu
caption: Family of George and Edwina Bunning, 1912, descendants of the Edkins family.
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