Bunyip is a town in Gippsland, Victoria, Australia, 81 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Shire of Cardinia local government area.

[5] The Kooweerup Swamp comprised a region of some 6,000 acres (24 km2) stretching from Sawtells Inlet on Westernport Bay to the township of Bunyip in the north-east.

The marsh like area was formed by the waters of the many rivers which flow down from the surrounding high country and which often created impenetrable swamplands.

[6] The first settlers had great difficulty in cultivating the land because of the dense stands of giant Melaleuca, or tea-tree, large Eucalyptus and Acacia melanoxylon, or blackwood trees, which lay under the surface.

A report in 1847 by the surveyor and Commissioner of Crown Lands, Charles Tyers, confirmed the earlier findings[8] but no major drainage works were attempted until decades later.

In 1847, a road was surveyed through virgin forest to "Buneep", as the area was known by its indigenous inhabitants,[9] which enabled travellers to follow a track that led further east into Gippsland.

In December 1857 the Buneep Run was surveyed with a view to establishing a village on the Melbourne to Sale Road and Messrs. Connor, Vale and McKinnon purchased most of the allotments in the area.

But, in 1860 there were further improvements made for coach traffic with the opening of the Old Sale Road which crossed the Bunyip River three miles (4.8 km) to the south of the old Buneep village, which was abandoned around this time.

Surrounded partly by swamp as it was, the foundation of the town, and railway line, can be attributed to its relatively elevated position, its prior use as a coach stop and the increasing need to provide transport for farm produce and timber.

And, as the area was becoming more prosperous, a petition was prepared in April 1899 to ask the Bank of Australasia to establish an agency in Bunyip and to send an officer two days a week.

[15] The Bunyip Parish of St. Thomas' was originally part of the Gippsland Forest mission in 1879 and early services were held in Kraft's Hall.

Two years later enormous bushfires threatened the township and destroyed many properties before large fire breaks were cleared to the north of the town in February, 1926.

Some excerpts from the district newspapers of the time document the growth of the town:[20] The Bunyip shopping precinct consists of a wide variety of businesses.

These include a post office, chemist, hair dressers, fast food shops, grocery stores, accountants and real estate agents, a bakery, a newsagent, Commonwealth and Bendigo banks, hardware and timber merchants, lawn mower outlet, a veterinarian and one pubs (known locally as the Bottom Pub due to its position on the sloping main street).

The Bunyip and District Soccer Club caters for followers of that game and draws players from the local area.

Dating from 1900, Bunyip has staged an annual agricultural show with categories for horses, dogs, cats, cookery, art work and many others.

[23] The Bunyip country music festival is held the 1st Sunday of February each year and attracts performers, and audiences from all over Victoria (Australia).

As a regular feature the Bunyip Railway Hotel conducts an amateur music night where musicians can perform to a live audience.

The sanctuary is home to animals such as frogs, lizards, snakes, panthers, elephants, and water birds and is a rare reserve in this district.

For the casual visitor to the area informative signage, brochures, picnic tables and a choice of walking trails have all been created.

This station was once an important transportation link for both passengers, seeking to buy train tickets, and for parcel and goods freight.

The Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Victoria performed Iolanthe at Bunyip Hall, Main St on Saturday evening, 29 April 2017.