Bunbury Before Colonisation

An article in the Bunbury Herald from 1917 records the language and customs of Bunbury’s traditional owners from a white colonist’s perspective. Some descriptions could be inaccurate and the spelling is likely the author’s interpretation. The original article, transcribed below, can be seen here: Long Before Bunbury Was

Noongar Language of Bunbury (extracted from the article)

Ban-djanup (Location of the Recreation Ground)

Bar-alyup (another hill in Bunbury near Sampson Town)

Beila Quoliard (little river)

Bendya Yangeetup (Blyth’s swamp)

Booga (sulky)

Booligup (town of Bunbury from the jetty to the railway station)

Derbal (Leschenault estuary)

Djural (North)

Garrung (angry)

Kairning (corroboree)

Karta Koombarra (Big Hill - likely Marlston Hill)

Malgarra (Medicine man)

Min-ny-gup (area south of Meredith Creek)

Moor-an (Tuart tree)

Mungarnut (White waves)

Muurdiyl/ Quongarn (sea beach)

Ngurdi (West)

Pandy (traditional game resembling hockey)

Quab (good spirit)

Tam-banup (Pig island)

Teede-mup (beach between the bar and Turkey Point)

Tittikurt (large gum-tree nuts used for Pandy game)

Toombeenup (area between Bury Hill, old police station and hospital, Stirling Street and the railway line. Camping area near Austral Parade/ White Road)

ARTicle: Long Before Bunbury Was

By Tim O’thy

Wednesday 14 November 1917

Bunbury is today the capital of the South West, and is situated at the mouth of the Leschenault Estuary, at its entrance to Koombana Bay. 

In the days before the advent of the white man, before Bunbury was Bunbury, it was known to the natives as Booligup, or, at least, that portion which today comprises the business part of the town, and from the jetty to the Railway Station, was.

The geography and topography of the district was much more ample in those days, as every swamp or water hole had its own name

In studying the native language, I have learnt something of their geography, astronomy, habits, customs and folklore. The hill on which the lighthouse and Fresh Air League's building stand was called Karta Koombarra, which means the Big Hill. The name Koombana is evidently derived from Koombarra, and must have been so named by someone who had failed to get the correct word Koombarra, which means 'big.' From this hill, a fine view of Booligup and the surrounding country may be obtained, and I shall describe it as though I were at the foot of the lighthouse, its highest point.

Out to the West (Ngurdi) and North (Djural) lies a broad expanse of the Indian Ocean. The sea was called Watturn or Tiddar, and the white waves, Mungarnut. When the waves broke upon the beach into foam, the foam was called 'watturn delya,' which, in our language, would mean 'sea spittle.'

The sea beach was called either Muurdiyl or Quongarn, and was a favourite resort of the natives when camped at Booligup, What is now The Recreation Ground was known as Ban-djanup, and here the natives would meet for corroboree (kairning) when visiting Booligup.

The following is one of the corroboree songs sung on the occasion of the visit—

Nyee nyarr watturn O

Nyee nyee watturn O

Karrgo karrgo karrgoo.

Barn yow-wahring kairning yuur.

the free translation of which is as follows :—

Here, here is the Sea, O!

Here we are at the Sea, O!

The waves are rolling, rolling.

We paddle, we swim and dance.

Before turning from the broad blue sea, there is a very interesting belief which the native holds regarding it, which I will relate. The natives have a very strong belief in an after life, or spirit existence, and believe that, when the body dies, the 'wearn or kaang' (spirit) leaves the body, and if a good one (quab) according to their idea of goodness, it goes away, on and on, over the Western Sea, never to return, but ever going onward. If, on the other hand, the 'wearr' has been 'wokine, garrung or booga' (bad, angry or sulky) it will remain and haunt places where its late companions in the body move about, and try to anger and annoy then whenever they can, and particularly whilst they sleep.

The Estuary was called Darbal, and those who lived, or more particularly were born close to it, were called Darbalung. The addition of the syllable 'ung' makes the word possessive, and really means 'one belonging to the Estuary.' This addition of 'ung'' I have found in so many instances that it constitutes almost a rule the same as our ''s' to form the possessive. The hill rising from behind the Police Station on which the Water Supply Tanks stand, and continuing to Spencer's Bury Hill, as well as the ground on which the Hospital stands, and including Stirling Street to about the Railway line, was Toombeenup. This was a favourite camping place, and there were many very large Tuart (Moor-an) trees growing there in those days.

The hill to the South on which Bishop's court stands, as well as the flat part, Sampson Town, and the swamp, was known as Bar-alyup. The hill itself, particularly the eastern end, was a native burying ground, and many have found their last resting place on that hill.

The long strip of land which we call the North Beach, from the Bar to Turkey Point, and including Paddy's Blunder and the Quarantine Station, was called Teede-mup. This part was very seldom visited by the natives.

Pig Island was called Tam-banup, and was, no doubt, as little visited in the past as it is today.

When speaking of Teedemup, I learnt that when the natives heard the sea roar in that direction, they said it was the sea telling them rain would soon come. In their own language it is put thus: — 'Nyungarra woorabah, twonga Teedemup watturna wongie, bal wongie kaab kuling bwurda,' and translated is :— 'Native, long time ago know, Teedemup sea talk, him say rain coming near.'

Along the White Road, from the camping place (Toombeenup), was a piece of flat ground on which the natives used to play 'Pandy.'' This game was very similar to Hockey. The club was a bent stick about 2 ft. ;6 in. long, with a crooked end of about 6 inches. For balls, the largest nuts of the gum-tree were used, and were called 'tittikurt.' Both men and women joined in the game, and, at times — many times indeed — things were fast and furious, often finishing with a free fight ; particularly if one side happened to be a party of visitors from another district.

From about the Residency to Mr. Hayward's place was Cookernyup, through which Beila Cookernyup or Beila Quoliard (Little River) ran into the Estuary. This creek is now called Meredith Creek. To the South lay Min-ny-gup, on which was Bendya Yangeetup, and is now known as Blyth's Swamp. This swamp took its name from the bullrushes which grew very thickly in it: 'Yangeet' is the native name for bullrushes. It was also 'winniitch' (sacred — to be strictly, avoided), as it was one of the many swamps or water-holes which the natives believed to be inhabited by the 'Warrgul.' 

The 'Warrgull' was the natives' bogey, and is described as a very big snake, with wings behind its neck, and a coarse, hairy mane or fringe hanging down from the head. It was similar to our idea of the dragon, and would swallow a man at one gulp, so the natives believed.

The 'Mulgarra,' or Medicine Men, were the only ones who dared to enter the forbidden area around one of these Warrgul abodes, and they placed offerings of meat on the bank of the swamp, and strewed rushes over the ground in honor of the mythical monster, to ensure a safe passage of ordinary members of the company. Besides swamps and water-holes, the Warrgul was sometimes believed to inhabit certain trees, rocks and caves, and always, when passing near any of these spots where the spirit of the Warrgul was supposed to be, rushes would be strewn along the path, possibly to propitiate the spirit, or perhaps to prevent footmarks being made, whereby the Warrgul might track them, and gobble some of them up. 

The swamps which the Warrgul lived in were of a boggy nature, and he was able to disappear into the soft mud immediately, and remain there so long as he wished, if necessary. 

The Warrgul is evidently the same mythological monster as the Victorian Bunyip, and the Warrigal of New South Wales.