USING MCGUIRE'S PUNT, 1853… William Howilt provides an account in which he narrates his party's overnight encampment at an old stockyard, about a mile from the punt. The punt under was "of the most rickety smallness", necessitating the swimming of horses across the river, while carts and their loads were taken separately. The punt also attracted some "undesirables", requiring vigilance for possessions left on both sides of the river bank. The depiction of the punt can be seen in this painting by Eugene von Guerard. The painting illustrates the cable and the steep embankment on the Mooroonna side. Photo: Shepparton Heritage Centre
By Dillon Shelley
THE humble beginnings of Shepparton are intimately tied to a small, rustic establishment known as McGuire’s Punt Hut. This modest shack, the town’s first construction, sprung up in 1853 near the bustling intersection of where High and Welsford Streets are today. Flushed with the excitement of the gold rush across the state, an industrious man named Paddy McGuire guided the town’s birth, setting up a punt at the Goulburn river’s edge, connecting the Bendigo and Ovens gold fields.
USING MCGUIRE’S PUNT, 1853… William Howilt provides an account in which he narrates his party’s overnight encampment at an old stockyard, about a mile from the punt. The punt under was “of the most rickety smallness”, necessitating the swimming of horses across the river, while carts and their loads were taken separately. The punt also attracted some “undesirables”, requiring vigilance for possessions left on both sides of the river bank. The depiction of the punt can be seen in this painting by Eugene von Guerard. The painting illustrates the cable and the steep embankment on the Mooroonna side. Photo: Shepparton Heritage Centre
Until 1876, the punt tracks remained a focal point for the town, guiding locals and visitors alike. Up until 1870, Government documents referred to Shepparton as “McGuire’s Punt.” The shift to “Shepparton” happened gradually, beginning in 1855. Contrary to popular belief, the name didn’t originate from England’s Shepparton, but was a nod to Sherbourne Sheppard a squatter based in Tallygaroopna, affectionately tiptoeing into usage as ‘Sheppardtown’ before finally – Shepparton.
