Murraylands

Distinguished and Famous people from Murraylands

⚙️ David Unaipon

David Unaipon was born at Raukkan, then known as Point McLeay Mission, in 1872. The Ngarrindjeri writer, preacher and inventor developed a mechanical improvement to sheep-shearing equipment and gathered Aboriginal stories during his travels. His interests ranged from engineering to literature, alongside advocacy for his people. The portrait on Australia’s fifty-dollar note made him familiar to people who might never have opened one of his books. Raukkan supplies the family and educational setting behind that public image, on the Lower Lakes rather than in Murray Bridge itself.

🚗 David Shearer

David Shearer worked with his brother John in Mannum’s agricultural machinery industry, but his inventive interests also took to the road. His steam carriage was an early Australian experiment in motoring, using a boiler fuelled by mallee stumps and requiring a dependable supply of water. The vehicle could carry a family-sized party, although journeys required considerably more preparation than finding the keys. Its later preservation by the National Motor Museum keeps that engineering experiment visible. Shearer remained associated with Mannum’s manufacturing and civic life, joining practical farm equipment with a strikingly ambitious attempt at horseless travel.