Mount Evelyn in Yarra Ranges Shire, Victoria, Australia — Oceania

Bullock Teams and Timber

— The Timeline Community Arts Project —

Photographed by Dean Barton-Ancliffe, June 18, 2026

1. Bullock Teams and Timber Marker

Inscription. This panel shows two features from the earliest period of settlement, the timber industry and working bullock teams. When the land was first surveyed in the mid-1850s, a timber mill was already operating on the site of Mt Evelyn Reserve. Bullocks provided the heavy transport in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Bullock teams like this one were employed in major construction projects such as the O'Shannassy Aqueduct. The western ridge of Mt Evelyn was called 'Bullock Hill' in the early days.

Painted by Birmingham Primary School Sponsored by Mt Evelyn Veterinary Clinic & Animal Hospital

Erected by Mt Evelyn Township Improvement Committee.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Horticulture & Forestry • Parks & Recreational Areas • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1850.

Location. 37° 47.152′ S, 145° 22.767′ E. Marker is in Mount Evelyn, Victoria, in Yarra Ranges Shire. It can be reached from Wray Crescent 0.1 kilometers north of York Road (Victoria Route C402). Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 26 York

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Road, Mount Evelyn VIC 3796, Australia. Touch for directions.

Regionally, it is in Oceania,

Australasia,

the Pacific Ocean,

South Pacific,

the Pacific Rim,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Wurrundjeri (here, next to this marker); The Berry Farm (here, next to this marker); Swaggies in Tough Times (a few steps from this marker); The First Train (a few steps from this marker); Peace after War (within shouting distance of this marker); Scouts 80 Years in Mt Evelyn (within shouting distance of this marker); The Aqueduct from Silvan (within shouting distance of this marker); The Army Camp (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Mount Evelyn.

Also see . . . Bullock Team Facts & History. Gleneden Farm

Why were there Bullock Teams in Australia?

In a developing country like Australia, a bullock team had many advantages over other forms of transport. Compared to convict labour they were much stronger and probably
Photographed by Dean Barton-Ancliffe, June 18, 2026

2. Bullock Teams and Timber Marker along the Rail Trail
much easier to control and get along with. Cattle were included in the livestock that arrived on the First Fleet and they did very well here, rapidly increasing in number. In comparison to horses, bullocks have always been much cheaper to acquire when young and of much greater value when they are old. Additionally, the harness for a bullock team can be made from almost nothing other than scrap metal and bush timber in the hands of an amateur blacksmith and timber worker. On the other hand, producing a horse’s harness is a job for a highly skilled saddler and could cost as much as the horse itself.

Bullock teams were renowned for their steady, patient and determined pull in difficult situations where horses were prone to jerkiness and panic leading to expensive injuries and breakages. Bullocks didn’t often need shoeing and could live and work on rough herbage rather than the expensive feed required by working horses. It wasn’t until improved road surfaces meant that the greater strength and speed of draught horses could be put to advantage that bullock teams began to be displaced on the road.

In our forests and on our farms bullocks
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have been used up to the present day. Australia’s last full-time professional bullockies retired from the forest in the early 2000’s, but there are still a few hardy individuals who train and yoke bullock teams as hobbies, for demonstrations or for part-time work in forests and on farms.

(Submitted on July 18, 2026, by Dean Barton-Ancliffe of Rowville, Victoria.)

Credits. This page was last revised on July 24, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 18, 2026, by Dean Barton-Ancliffe of Rowville, Victoria. This page has been viewed 5 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 18, 2026, by Dean Barton-Ancliffe of Rowville, Victoria. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.