ABSTRACT
IN 1840 white settlers in the rugged Gippsland (called ‘Gipps Land’ at the time) region o f eastern Victoria reputedly located items o f European origin in a camp abruptly abandoned by local Kurnai people. A detailed inventory o f these objects was printed in a letter written by Angus McMillan — Scottish immigrant, and one o f the ‘founders’ o f modern Gippsland — in the Sydney Herald. Upon entering the camp, McMillan and his companions ‘discovered’:
...several check-shirts, cord and moleskin trousers, all besmeared with human blood; one German frock; two pea-jackets, new brown Macintosh cloak also stained with blood, several pieces of womens wearing apparel, namely,prints and merinos; a large lock o f brown hair, evidently that o f an European woman; one child’s white frock, with brown velvet band, five hand towels o f which one was marked R . Jamieson No. 12, one blue silk purse, silver tassels and slides, containing seven shillings and sixpence British money, one womens thimble, two large parcels o f silk sewing thread, various colours, 10 new English blankets perfectly clean, shoe-makers’ awls, bees’ wax, blacksmith’s pincers and cold chis el, one bridle bit, which had been recently used, as the grass was quite fresh on it, the tube o f a thermometer, broken looking glass, bottles o f all descriptions, two of which had castor oil in them, one sealskin cap, one musket and some shot, one broad toma hawk, some London, Glasgow and Aberdeen newspapers, printed in 1837 and 1838. One pewter two-gallon measure, one ditto handbasin, one large tin camp kettle, two children’s copy books, one bible printed in Edinburgh, June 1838, one set o f National Loan Fund regulations, respecting policies o f fife insurance, and blank forms of medical men’s certificate for effecting the same. .7
