Charles Bonney (31 October 1813 – 15 March 1897) was a pioneer and politician in Australia.

Early life Bonney was the youngest son of the Rev. George Bonney, a fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge, and his wife Susanna, née Knight. He was born at Sandon, Staffordshire, England. After his father died in 1826 his brother Thomas, headmaster of Rugeley Grammar School, gave him an education and a home for seven years. (Two of Thomas's sons, Edward and Frederic Bonney, later went to Australia.)

Pioneering in Australia Bonney left Britain on 5 August 1834 in the John Craig and arrived at Sydney on 12 December 1834. This was up to twenty times a typical ship load of sheep,Cornwall Chronicle, 24 October 1835, p. 2. eliminated catastrophic losses of entire ship loadsBent's News and Tasmanian Three-Penny Register, 27 February 1836, p. 3. and transformed the economics of the wool industry in Victoria as other overlanders followed his path. On about 21 March 1837 he discovered the rich, fertile Kilmore Plains in a journey that included blazing the trail of the Sydney Road. Kilmore became the inland agricultural powerhouse of the infant State of Victoria. These discoveries had a major impact on the economy of Victoria.Williams, Martin. Charles Bonney and the fertile Kilmore Plains, Victorian Historical Journal, Vol. 90, No. 1, June 2019. p108 p117. Bonney later wrote that amongst his proudest achievements were founding the fertile district of Kilmore and the route of the Sydney Road.Bonney, Charles. Autobiographical Notes, National Library of Australia, NLA digitised item, JAFp BIO 55 copy

See also French Australian

Notes

References H. J. Gibbney, 'Bonney, Charles (1813 - 1897)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 3, Melbourne University Press, 1969, pp 188–190.

Further reading