The Don Bradman Trail


Bradman Oval, Bowral

Tracing the early life of dricket legend Sir Donald Bradman through the places where he lived as a youth.


Legendary cricketer Sir Donald Bradman was born at 89 Adams Street, Cootamundra, and lived at Yeo Yeo for the first few years of his life. A mid-wife named Granny Scholz delivered Sir Donald Bradman on 27th August 1908 in the front room of the building.

At the time of Bradman's birth, the cottage was the local midwife's hospital where expectant mothers would stay during their confinement. The cottage has been restored and converted to a Museum.

Bradman's mother is believed to have journeyed to the hospital by horse and sulky from Yeo Yeo (between Cootamundra and Stockinbingal) where the family lived for the first few years of his life before moving to Bowral. The slab cottage where they lived at Yeo Yeo is now on display at Termora Rural Museum.

The cottage was originally located 20 km to the north of Yeo Yeo, on the family farm where the Bradman family lived until he was two-and-a-half, when in 1911 they moved to Bowral.

The Bradmans purchased a weatherboard house at 52 Shepherd Street, Bowral. His father, George, found a job as a carpenter and fencing contractor at a local timber-yard, owned by Alf Stevens.

Stephens was also the Captain of the Bowral Cricket Club; very soon George was a member of the team and the young Don followed in his footsteps. He developed his cricketing skills by repeatedly tapping a golf ball with a cricket stump against a curved course of bricks supporting the family water tank.

Using the house wall as one boundary on his off-side he managed to construct Test matches in his head where he as the batsman would pit himself against the unpredictable balls delivered by the tank stand. His constant application to this game, using the challenging tools that he limited himself, acutely developed his hand-to-eye co-ordination to a very high degree.

The Shepherd Street home remains essentially unchanged today, but is a private residence and no public access is permitted. Bradman first played cricket on the oval now named in his honour alongside the Cricket Hall of Fame.

George Bradman built the brick home at 20 Glebe Street, Bowral, into which the family moved in 1924. It remains today with little changes to its appearance.

In 1928 the young Bradman elected to leave Bowral permanently and move to Sydney, having signed up to play grade cricket with St George, a Sydney cricket club, in 1926.

Sir Donald moved into the home of cricket administrator Frank Cush, at 172 Frederick St, Rockdale, as a boarder in late 1929 after a short time boarding with a family friend in Sydney's inner west.



Bradman's birthplace, Cootamundra

Bradman's cottage, Temora

Bradman's home at 20 Glebe Street, Bowral

Home of cricket administrator Frank Cush, at 172 Frederick St, Rockdale

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