Bush pram and dog boots

A folding pram (perambulator) with a metal frame and woven wicker body and hood that has separate canvas flaps attached to the left and right side, 1930s. - click to view larger image — Bush pram, ‘Kanangra Express’, made by Myles Dunphy

Small leather dog boot. - click to view larger image — Dextre's small leather boots he wore on family camping trips

Bushwalking with the Kanangra Express

On the left, a photo of a small black and white dog sitting down. On the right, a set of small leather dog boots with eyelets and laces at the rear. — Dextre the dog, about 1930. Photo: Dunphy family

Environmental campaigner Myles Dunphy modified this pram so he could take his baby son Milo on bushwalks.

In 1931 Myles and his wife Margaret pushed Milo in this pram from Oberon to Kanangra Tops. Their journey in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales covered many kilometres.

The pram was nicknamed the 'Kanangra Express'. It could be folded up and carried over rugged terrain.

It is part of a large collection of bushwalking equipment donated to the National Museum by Milo Kanangra Dunphy, the boy in the pram.

The Dunphy collection also includes a set of small, handcrafted leather dog boots. Myles made the boots so that the family's pet, Dextre, would not cut his feet on sharp rocks while they were in the bush.

Portrait of a man standing in a forest wearing a hat and waterproof jacket. — Milo Dunphy at Wadbilliga forest, about 1985. Photo: Caroline Begg

Dunphy family tradition

Myles Dunphy (1891–1985) was one of Australia's earliest campaigners for environmental conservation. He formed Sydney's first bushwalking club, the Mountain Trails Club, in 1914.

Myles campaigned to protect bushland and helped to change public attitudes of the bush as a place of exploitation to a place of recreation and appreciation. He lobbied for national parks and was awarded an Order of the British Empire for his services to conservation.

Milo Dunphy (1929–1996) followed in his father's footsteps and was a keen bushwalker and passionate wilderness campaigner. He was Director of Sydney's Total Environment Centre for more than 20 years.

'Kanangra Express' pram, used by bushwalkers Myles and Margaret Dunphy in the Blue Mountains, 1930-1931Folding pram (perambulator) with an iron frame, a woven wicker body including a square hood, and four iron spoked wheels of the same size. Residual paint indicates that the frame was originally painted black with decorative orange lines. The wheels fold up so the pram can be turned into a cradle with a rocker base. The solid rub...

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