Portrait of HB Hughes from Booyoolee from the S.A. Northern Pioneers' composite, 1850-1859 (shown in position on B 6912/2).

Herbert Bristow Hughes was born 1820 in Liverpool, Lancashire, England. He arrived in South Australia in 1843 aboard the Davidsons (brig) from Liverpool. He was married in 1854, in England to Laura White. The town of Laura was named for her by Governor Fergusson.

Herbert Bristow Hughes and a brother Bristow Hughes took up Booyoolee on the Rocky River in the mid-north. Herbert became the sole owner when his brother returned to England in 1858. His older brother, John Bristow Hughes, was the founder of Bundaleer. Booyoolee sheep were bred from stock from Bundaleer and from Anlaby stations, with rams imported from Germany. This cross breeding produced an animal better suited to dry country and carried a lighter fleece. This breed was better suited to the property he acquired in New South Wales, Kinchega near Medindie. The Hughes family owned Kinchega until it became a national park in 1967. Hughes bought in tank and well sinkers to provide a permanent water source for his flock. Later much of the holding at Booyoolee was resumed for wheat farming.

Herbert was also a horse breeder importing stud horses from England. HB Hughes was a pioneer of the meat preserving industry in South Australia, establishing a canning plant at Booyoolee to deal with a glut in the sheep market. This was subsequently sold to Dean and Laughton and moved to Port Adelaide..

Hughes died at his town house, 'Athelney', Hackney Road, St. Peters on 19 May 1892, age 72.

Porter (ship)

Cockburn, R Pastoral pioneers of South Australia 2 v. (207; 263 p.) Adelaide : Publishers Limited, 1925-1927 ("Reprinted from the Adelaide Stock and Station Journal.") vol. 1 pp. 44-45

Laura days: a peep at the by gone Laura, S. Aust.: [Laura Centenary Celebrations Committee], 1972

Death of Mr. H. B. Hughes Adelaide observer, 28 May 1892, p. 35, col. d

Kearns, R. H. B. (Richard Hugh Bell), A pioneer pastoralist of the West Darling District, H. B. Hughes of Kinchega Broken Hill [N.S.W.] Broken Hill Historical Society, 1970

Hughes, Herbert Bristow Extracts from the diary of H.B. Hughes D 7469(L)

S.A. Northern Pioneers: J.B. Hughes

Kinchega National Park

Australian dictionary of biography online: Hughes, John Bristow (1817-1881)