William Thomas Bull (1867 - 1956) was an early Australian landowner in the
Riverina region,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
.
William Bull came to the
Riverina in 1884 with his father Thomas Bull from
Ballarat
Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands (Victoria), Central Highlands of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resid ...
and the Western District of
Victoria. Later other members of the family joined them and they took up land in the Jondaryan region (now known as
Griffith). They suffered horrific droughts during 1896 and 1899 in which the Jondaryan district survived thanks to William Bull's well which was deep. The property they owned became part of the De Bortoli vineyard estate. De Bortoli started a brewery named the "William Bull Brewery" in his honour.
During the 1900s when things were starting to go well the government resumed the land for irrigation and William Bull (who married in 1911) who was now 45 years of age had to start all over again. The family and other settlers scattered in all directions. William Bull purchased from Sir
Samuel McCaughey on Goolgumbla station out of Jerilderie.
He retired to
Deniliquin where he died on 3 February 1956 and is buried in the
Deniliquin cemetery with his wife Agnes.
The
New South Wales village of
Bilbul (located 6 kilometres north-east of
Griffith) was named in honor of William Bull.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bull, William
1867 births
1956 deaths
People from Deniliquin
Settlers of Australia
Colony of New South Wales people