Bunyip, Victoria
Bunyip is a town in Gippsland, Victoria, Australia, 81 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Shire of Cardinia local government area. Bunyip recorded a population of 3,131 at the 2021 census. Its major road connection is via the Princes Highway. The town is named after a mythical creature, known as the Bunyip or Bunyeep, which according to legend lived in and around swampy areas. Mention of it is often found in Australian and Aboriginal mythology. History Before European settlement The Koo-Wee-Rup and Bunyip areas, among others, are considered to be places of importance to many Aboriginal people in Victoria, particularly the Bunurong people of the Kulin nation, the traditional owners of the area, from whom the word Bunyeep is derived. They believe the Bunyip is a spiritual being which lives near water and preys on humans who come too near. 1800-1850 The Kooweerup Swamp comprised a region of some stretching from Sawtells Inlet on Westernport Bay to the township of Bunyip in the north-east. The marsh like area was formed by the waters of the many rivers which flow down from the surrounding high country and which often created impenetrable swamplands. The first settlers had great