Bruthen, Victoria

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Bruthen Victoria
Looking east along the Great Alpine Road in Bruthen from the western side of town
Population:	530 (2001 census)
Postcode:	3885
Location:	304 km from Melbourne 25 km from Bairnsdale
LGA:	East Gippsland Shire
State District:	Gippsland East
Federal Division:	Gippsland

Bruthen is a small town located alongside the Tambo River between Bairnsdale and Ensay on the Great Alpine Road in East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. Bruthen is 26km east of Bairnsdale and 311km east of the state capital Melbourne.

1 History
2 Facilities
3 Sports
4 References
5 External links

[edit] History

All that remains of the RAAF jet that crashed at Bruthen in 1958

Bruthen is an Aboriginal word from the Brabiralong people of the Gunai/Kurnai tribe meaning ‘long wooden point’. Alfred Howitt claimed the proper name for the area around Bruthen was Murloo, meaning ‘pipeclay’.

Noted explorer of Gippsland, Angus McMillan, first passed through the area of what is now Bruthen on 14th April, 1840 on his early explorations from the Omeo region. The first school in Bruthen opened in 1872.

On 27 November, 1958 an RAAF Avon-Sabre Fighter Jet crashed on the outskirts of Bruthen, narrowly missing the populated area of town. Flight Lieutenant Ralph Oborn was flying from New South Wales to the RAAF base in Sale when his engine ‘flamed out’. Oborn ejected at 500ft, suffering only minor injuries, and becoming the first person to safely eject from an aeroplane in Australia.

[edit] Facilities

Bruthen has a small shopping centre, including a general store, bakery, Post Office, hotel, service stations, as well as speciality stores and cafes. It also has a Police station, State Emergency Service and Country Fire Authority (CFA) branches, churches, a cemetery and a primary school.

[edit] Sports

In Australian rules football the Bruthen Football Club competes in the Omeo District Football League (ODFL), and has the nickname ‘The Bulldogs’. The affiliated Bruthen Netball Club competes in the associated netball competition.

The Bruthen colours are red, white and blue. Bruthen football jumpers consist of red and white hoops on a blue background, essentially the design of what was formerly Footscray, and now the Western Bulldogs AFL club. The netball club wears a blue top with red skirt.

Other sports in the town include tennis, cricket and lawn bowls clubs.