Box & Carmen
Chilli Dog
Buckmundi is operated from our caravan while we live and explore Australia. From storing stock, packaging, processing, designing to marketing. You name it, it’s the whole shebang on wheels!
​Originally both from small Queensland towns ‘Cooktown and Julia Creek’, we were familiar with a simpler life to the one we had created in Townsville for 15 years. In October 2019 we packed up our 9 to 5 lives on a gut feeling there was more out there for us and to find what we are passionate about. We hit the road to live on it with our sausage dog Chilli, we love it and intend to continue for a long time yet.
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HOW WE STARTED
Our van life staple fishing shirt (aka outdoor life shirts as 90% of the time you’re not fishing in them) was where we started and being Australian made was very important to us as it is for a growing number of Aussies. Being sun conscious and living in long sleeves is what we were brought up doing so chucking on a shirt that performs, has style, practical elements such as pockets with themes other than fishing is what we are all about.
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BACKGROUND
Being fussy about fabric, construction and Buckmundi's manufacturer is no accident. Sewing, bridal design and retail and study in Textile Design & Footwear is my background (Carmen). This is where the knowledge to locate quality fabric and a high standard of garment assembly stems from and importantly manufactured in Australia; NOT designed here and made elsewhere.
Quentin (affectionately better known as Box) conjured up our brand name by slapping two words together.
Buck ‘deer’ Mundi ‘barramundi’ and rhymes with not liking Monday, such an Aussie bloke thing to do but it's easy to remember. He is my 110% encouragement while re-kindling his love for boiler making at mine shutdown’s to keep the wheels turning while we travel and get Buckmundi out there.
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WHAT MAKES OUR SHIRTS DIFFERENT
Every brand says their shirts are the lightest and coolest, but it is fair dinkum the first thing people notice when they put on a Buckmundi. We have located the softest microfibre fabric that helps keep you cool by drawing moisture away from your skin, letting the breeze pass through making them much cooler to wear then other fishing shirts. We have tested them in 40+ degree heat and humidity from the Kimberley Western Australia to Cape York Queensland and across Australia against other long sleeve shirts and they definitely breath the best.
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We are proudly Australian owned, designed & made. Every design we do has ‘Australian owned & made’ printed on the back. They don’t need ironing, are rated UPF50+, quick drying and the fabric is treated to help keep the BO away (so fellas you can give wearing them for multiple days a crack.) ​
OUR WEARERS
We have golfers, fishermen, van lifers, horsemen, bird watchers, hikers, gardeners, 4x4 drivers, cider makers, Muay Thai fighters, riders and sky divers wearing our shirts to name only a few, they keep coming back and we love it. Our customers become part of the Buckmundi family and contribute to make our Australian made product even greater. To this day the largest percentage of our sales are from repeat customers.
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Our aim is to showcase Australian made while living the Aussie dream and keeping a few more employed while we are at it. It is unreal quality gear, and we are so proud to see people loving them as much as we do. Appreciate the shout outs and sharing everyone has been doing to get Buckmundi out there.
​Thank you for supporting our little business & Australian made.
Carmen, Box & Chilli dog.
PAST NEWSLETTER
Reflecting on 2023 & wishing you a very Happy Christmas & New Years.
Dear Buckmundi Family,
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G'day from The Whitsundays!
We hope this letter finds you in good spirits and ready for a bit of time off over the Christmas period. As we write our first-ever Christmas letter, we're grateful for the opportunity to share a glimpse of our adventures with those who've been on this journey with us.
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This year, our wheels found a semi-permanent home in the picturesque Whitsundays (terrible we know) A record-setting stay for us in our four years on the road (Perth being a close second during lockdown). Originally planning to head back towards the Adelaide Hills after a stunning wedding at Chilli Beach Cape York in 2022, our plans changed as they always do on the road. Barra season for Box, work opportunities for both, and the chance to promote Buckmundi in our potential future home prompted us to stay longer.
We have had the opportunity to spend more time (sometimes parked in their back yards) with many of our family and friends up and down the QLD coast as well as others flying in from down south and as far away as WA to join us at events such as the Dittman's Bull Country Music fest in Bloomsbury, fishing trips and our big 40 celebrations at Hamilton Island.
Box has been working in the mines around the Bowen Basin and Weipa attending shutdowns. Just this week he is caught in Weipa with Cyclone Jasper cutting them off from using the Cairns airport to return home. He loves it, he is learning things all the time, making connections everywhere and most importantly he gets to fish.
I, Carmen, have been establishing Buckmundi while working at the caravan park where we have been staying. Something to think about when you travel with a dog you are not allowed to leave them unattended at caravan parks so you need to work where you can have a dog or work where you live. From bridal boutique and desk jobs in airconditioned comfort in a previous life to now planting trees, clearing scrub with a machete and whipper snipper, cleaning and milking cows it’s a life far-fetched to the one I had. It’s not all glamourous but you feel alive at the end of the day and gets you away from the computer. Box and I still wouldn’t trade the experiences we have had for anything!
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Our beloved Chilli dog continues to be our gentle and silent companion. Though age may have slowed her down and her sight isn’t 100% anymore she insists on being a part of every adventure. She truly is a special part of our lives and celebrates her 12th birthday on new year’s day.
Throughout the year, we have taken Buckmundi to local markets from Sarina to Townsville meeting wonderful faces like yours. We have had new customers both in Qld and interstate reach out via our website that we have never met before, so word of mouth is definitely getting out there. Your support has propelled us forward, expanding our community and growing our website and collection. Your loyalty and support for our Australian made shirts means the world to us and we can’t thank you enough.
As we wrap up this year, we want to express our deepest gratitude for being a part of the Buckmundi family. Wishing you a fantastic Christmas and a New Year filled with good times, laughter, some bevvies and exciting new beginnings. We can't wait to bring you more in 2024!
With love & safe travels
Carmen, Box, & Chilli dog
