Right across Australia there are suburbs, rivers and landscapes with indigenous names. This NAIDOC we take a look at some of the place names from Lake Macquarie, Newcastle & Port Stephens.
Anyone attending a public event in Australia will be familiar with the Acknowledgement to Country. It is a statement that shows awareness and respect to the traditional owners of the land where the event is being held. In doing so, it recognises the long and continuing connection between indigenous Australians and their country that extends back 10s of thousands of years.
The Acknowledgement and Welcome to Country are both important recognition of our shared space. Whether we are indigenous or not, we are all connected to the land we are standing on. For those whose heritage stretches back hundreds of generations to those who have recently immigrated or for those merely visiting the country, we all stand on the same land at that moment. By acknowledging its history we acknowledge the present and look to the future.
Relationship to the Land is about connection and storylines
The Awabakal and Worimi peoples are acknowledged by Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and Port Stephens Councils as the traditional custodians of the land and waters around the Newcastle coastal region.
Indigenous communities divided their lands along natural landmarks, rivers, mountain ranges and coastlines. The Awabakal occupied coastal lands south of the Hunter River and around Lake Macquarie. North of Newcastle harbour, all the way to Forster and inland to Barrington, is the Worimi Nation, an area consisting of several different clans or "Ngurra" all speaking the Gathang language.
For indigenous Australians land is not something that is owned or traded. The connection to country is one of spirituality and identity as well as the basics of sustaining life. As custodians of the land, they have a responsibility to preserve the environment and the traditions, sites and lore of the country for future generations.
The Newcastle region, with its mix of vegetation and the sea, was favourable to a hunter-gatherer lifestyle. Throughout the area, there are relics of their habitation from middens and campsites to sites of cultural significance.
While many suburbs of the Newcastle region bare the names of European persons or towns, there are still a large number that retain the indigenous name. These place names often described the landscape of the area or the type of food or resources that were to be found there.
In an effort to preserve indigenous language and connection to culture Newcastle Council has launched an initiative to include indigenous place names alongside European ones. Walking along the Newcastle foreshore the posted information of indigenous place names, lifestyle and dreaming stories give us insight into local indigenous people's long connection to the land we are on.
In Port Stephens, Worimi culture is being preserved through the work of the Worimi and Karuah Local Aboriginal Land Councils and particularly with the Worimi Conservation Lands at Stockton Bight. The WCL is managed by the local Worimi Traditional Owners, in partnership with the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. They work to protect the natural and cultural assets of the area while promoting responsible public access.
In 2019, NAIDOC Week, which celebrates the culture and contribution of Indigenous Australians, coincides with the International Year of Indigenous Language. The indigenous voice of Australia passes down culture, knowledge and a connection to country and original place names are an important part of that.
So this NAIDOC we take a look at some of the indigenous names for the towns and suburbs of the Newcastle region, some of which remain and some which sit alongside European names. When you consider that Australian indigenous culture is the longest continuing culture in the world, these words have been used to describe our landscape since the earliest times in human history.
Place names of indigenous origin, what they mean
Awaba - plain surface
Bahtabah (Belmont) - the hill overlooking the water on the lake
Boolaroo - place of many flies
Buladelah - meeting of the waters
Burrabihngarn (Stockton) - land of plenty with food in abundance
Coquun/Coqoun (Hunter River South)
Dungog / Tunkok - Clear Hills
Eleebana - Beauty
Gwandalan - haven of restful / peaceful waters
Karuah - native plum tree
Kotara - waddy, a type of club
Kurri Kurri - The Very First
Mulubinba/Muloobinba (Newcastle) - the place of sea ferns
Nikkin-bah (Lake Macquarie district) - place of coal
Pillapay- kullaitaran (Glenrock Lagoon) - the place of palms
Tahlbihn Point (Flagstaff Hill)
Tanilba Bay - place of the white flowers
Wangi Wangi - many night owls
Whibayganba/Whibay gamba (Nobbys Head)
Yohaaba - Port Hunter (Newcastle Harbour, The Basin, Throsby Basin, North Harbour, Port Waratah and Fullerton Cove)
Find out more about the culture, history and stories of the indigenous lands in the greater Newcastle area:
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