Bushland Friends board game
made in Australia 1956
The third in my posts on retro board games- this game purports to be a “cute little folks animal game”. For ages 4 to 8, this game involves spinning a dial featuring Australian animals [and, weirdly, a rabbit] and moving along a forest path made up of the same animals- thus “players simply match pictures of loveable little animals – there is no reading.”
It’s not all fun and games, however- players landing on occupied spaces can bump their opponents off. Even 4 years old need to understand the harsh competitive world that is board games!
As you can see on the image, the game originally sold for 99 cents. While the game is in good order, and ready for some bumping-off action, it doesn’t contain it’s playing pieces. However, since these were only dull plastic discs [and not, as I imagined, Australian marsupials- a la monopoly pieces] – the new owner of this game is obliged to supply their own.
The game is for sale: $AUD15
re:retro 
1956 is pre-decimal currency in Australia so how could it cost 99 cents? Sorry to be picky but it’s a question of authenticity right?
quite right john! i didn’t phrase that too well. i meant that the game cost 99c at some time in it’s past. it’s clearly had a few owners.
From what I learned in grammar school (in the US), rabbits were not so cuddly, cute, native or liked in Australia? How odd. LOL.
my thoughts exactly. the rabbit is not exactly a ‘bushland friend’- more like a ‘bushland pest’. and even in 1956 we had cottoned on to that fact. how amazing that the information made it all the way over to your grammar school!