Barham

History

For thousands of years before white explorers arrived, the Barababaraba people camped, hunted fished and gardened here. Their cooking mounds, scar trees, middens and artefacts can readily be found on private land and throughout the forests. Each nomadic clan had their own territory with exclusive rights to the camping, fishing and hunting. There was some vigorous resistance to the first settlers, but the indigenous population dramatically decreased in the late 1800s, mainly due to disease. The history of white settlement begins in 1843 when the 114,656 acre 'Barham' station was taken up by Edward Green, who named it after the maiden name of his wife. The south bank of the Murray was then settled towards the end of the Victorian gold rush where squatters grazed sheep and cattle. The typical Australian struggle between squatters (on vast acreage) and selectors (who took up small lots) was played out throughout the district, with selectors such as Parkman, McConnell and Hudson moving in to take up small farms within the Barham station lease from 1877. The Post Office opened on 1 January 1895. Growth was slow until 1904 with the construction of a lift span bridge designed to allow paddle steamers through.