The following information is what I have gathered from various sources to paint a picture of Aboriginal life in the Gulgong district. Many of the sources quoted were written at a time that did not value the rich culture and traditions of Aboriginal people and used language that reflected a very regrettable attitude. That language is quoted as used by the journalists and citizens of the day. We cannot rewrite history but hopefully we can learn from it.
There are various historical articles that provide the meanings for Aboriginal words. These rarely acknowledge which of the hundreds of Aboriginal languages they are derived from. The lists tend to be compiled by non-Aboriginal people and cannot be relied upon for accuracy but are included as a starting point for further investigation.
Gulgong - nguluman in local language - means "large waterhole". The town is surrounded by many place names derived from Aboriginal words. Gulgong was built on land inhabited by the Wiradjuri people before exploration west of the Blue Mountains - and a gold rush in the 1870s - saw an influx of white settlers and the dispossession of the traditional custodians.
PLACENAME: GOODIMAN
According to the Wiradjuri Dictionary app:
gadhaang means happy or gladmanhang means ground, dirt or soil.
So, gadhang manghang would mean happy ground and it is likely that the Wiradjuri people were living happily here with encampments along Goodiman Creek. I have not yet found much information about the Aboriginal people of this district. Did they flee from the oncoming settlers? Were they all killed? There is only one recorded instance of a massacre in the region but that's not to say that there weren't others.
Chamberlaine, William Cox’s overseer at Mudgee, and two stockmen and an Aboriginal guide, killed 16 Wiradjuri, probably all men, including a leader known by the settlers as Blucher. The region was under martial law at the time. (Connor 2002:61)
Sources: SG 16 September 1824 -https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/494925; Connor 2002: 61
We are credibly informed, that, up to the 6th instant, no fresh disturbance was known at Bathurst to have occurred, on the part of the black natives; but it has since been reported, from that part of the Colony, that some of them have been killed whilst in the act of driving off a considerable number of cattle belonging to Mr Cox, near Mudgee. It is probable, that within the last week the Magistrates, assembled in that part of the Country, viz. Major Morriset, Mr. Lawson, Mr. Rankin, and Mr. Walker, have proceeded in the direction of Mudjee with a sufficient number of settlers, supported by an Officer's party of the 40th Regt, to repress future violences.
Many more massacres are detailed by Mudgee District History.
WHAT THEY MEAN - Aboriginal Place Names - GULGONG DISTRICT
GULGONG means a big waterhole, according to a list of Aboriginal names and their meanings printed in a booklet edited by the late Mr W. W. Thorpe, ethnologist, and published by the Australian Museum.
Other names and meanings are: —Biraganbil: Place of leeches.Birrawa: Many box treesGuntawang: A meeting place.Tallawang: Place of the apple gum.However, when the list was printed in the 'Mudgee Guardian' recently a writer from Turill stated that some of the meanings in the book were incorrect. In his corrections, he says: —Gulgong (Abo. Goolgong) means crooked water, and the name belongs to a horseshoe bend in the creek about a mile or mile and a half south-west from the village of Home Rule and known in the early days as the shallow rush, and nearly opposite to where Mr T. Rowbotham now lives; that crooked turn in the creek is Gulgong proper. From where Mr Rowbotham lives to Mr Roth's at Gullamarra was known as Gulgong in the early days.Guntawang (Abo. Goondiwang). Goondi means animal or human excrescence and wang or wong a rock or stone (excrescence on a rock).Tallawang. — Tal a log and wang a rock (log on a rock).
The name TALLEWANG is elsewhere said to derive from “dallawong” a wild apple. The New Wiradjuri Dictionary 2010 lists “dalawang” as the Apple Box Tree, Eucalyptus bridgesiana.
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OLD GULGONG - Aboriginal Meanings
A SERIES of articles of which this is one have been compiled from data collected by Mr. W. M. Claridge, recently on the staff of the Gulgong Public School. As far as could be ascertained from the sources available, the facts given are correct, the sole aim being to present a true record of Gulgong's past days. Mr. Claridge would appreciate information which may be available in regard to any unwitting misstatements.
By W. M. CLARIDGE
ARTICLE 2
It is not revealed whether settlement resulted directly from these early explorations, but the decision of Lawson and the Cox's to settle, along the Cudgegong opened up the Mudgee district, and soon holdings began to be taken up along the Cudgegong below Mudgee.
Though records of the Lands Department show these grants and purchases as being made during the 1830's, many of them were fulfilments of promises made as early as 1823 and 1825. Such were holdings like that of Henry Steel, who was given a grant of 2000 acres somewhere about the present Munna Railway Station. This grant is dated 9/4/1835, but was promised as early as 1823, while the property known as 'Wilbetree' was sold to the Lowe family in 1835, on a warrant from Governor Brisbane dated 3/5/1825.
Just how far along the Cudgegong was used in these days is not certain, as many 'permissive occupancies' were made by Governor Macquarie about the time that Lawson and the Cox's took up their land beside the Cudgegong, and these grants of Macquarie were not, recorded and some at least of the permissions were withdrawn.
However, we do know that the first lands legally occupied in the Gulgong district were granted, apparently for his services, to Richard Rouse, who came to Australia in 1801 as overseer of works in New South Wales on behalf of the Imperial Government. On his retirement from that position, Rouse took up the land on the Cudgegong known as Guntawang and Biraganbil, but before this some of the land he occupied was visited by Cunningham, who, on another trip, followed the Cudgegong back from the Wellington Valley. He writes in his journal (now in the Mitchell Library) that on December 1, 1825, "we came in again upon the bank of the Cugeegang opposite to a fine open or very thinly timbered tract named Gunterwong by the aboriginals." The Aborigianl meaning of 'Gunterwang' now spelled 'Guntawang,' is 'meeting place,' from which it appears that the site approximates the junction of the Cudgegong River and Wyaldra Creek. Cunningham's position as he writes of Guntawang opposite would place him on the Biraganbil estate, which occupied the south bank of the river as Guntawang did the north. The first promise of land to Rouse was made as early as 1825 by Governor Brisbane, but this area of 1200 acres was not actually taken up till 1833, for Rouse first received the 4000-acre block which formed the original Guntawang property. This was granted in 1828 and is the first recorded holding settled in the Gulgong district. During the next twelve years Rouse took up additional areas, and the position of these indicates that this first settler sought the best portions of land, especially those monopolising good river frontages.
Government Gazettes show the following [portions]??? having been occupied by Rouse in those years:
- 16/5/1828, 4000 acres, Guntawang, grant.
- 6/7/1833, 1200 acres, below and adjoining Guntawang, grant.
- 29/3/1836, 722 acres above Guntawang, puchase, £180/10/.
- 20/5/1837, 784 acres between and uniting the 4000 and 722-acre: blocks, purchase, £196.
- 19/7/1838, 1081 acres left bank Cooyal (Reedy) Creek near junction with Slapdash Creek, purchase, £270/5/.
- 29/6/1839, 851 acres Cooyal Creek near Cumbandry, purchase, £212/15/.
- 18/2/1840, 1118 acres adjoining the 851 acres higher up Cooyal Creek, purchase, £978/5/.
Before all these portions had been taken up, however, we find the first reference to the name Gulgong. Commenced by Oxley, a systematic survey was finished by Sir Thomas Mitchell of the original nineteen counties ,the official limit of settlement in those days. From this trigonometrical survey, Mitchell made the first map of the colony in 1831, and a reprint of this, dated 1834, is still preserved in the Mitchell Library in Sydney.
On this map the name Gulgong is shown on Cooyal Creek. Whether Mitchell merely placed the name there because of its native association (in the Aboriginal dialect it means 'deep waterhole'), or because; the name had already been transferred to the surrounding country, is not apparent, but it appears again at the same spot in 1839, when, on April 27, A. J. Liddington purchased 440 acres at 5/ an acre on the left bank of Cooyal Creek, opposite the present site of Home Rule. This purchase grant is described as being situated at Gulgong in the County of Phillip, parish unnamed.
Source: Mudgee Guardian and North-Western Representative (NSW : 1890 - 1954) Thu 23 Oct 1941 Page 6
From Norman McVickers
The Wiradjuri Story
Aboriginal place names
Mudgee: a nest
Eurunderee: a local tree
Gulgong: a gully
Wollar: a rock water hole
Guntawang: peaceful place
Menah: flat country
Cooyal: dry country
Wilbertree: a long switch
Gooree: native chasing live animal
Burrendong: darker than usual
There are many others, but no definitive list of local Aboriginal place names appears to exist.
- Balderodgery, (Parkes district), a little plover;
- Carrathool, a native companion;
- Collaroy, (Merriwa district), a swamp;
- Dubbo, a place for water-grass:
- Dundullimal, (Dubbo district), terrific hailstorm;
- Geurie, (between Dubbo and Wellington), fat;
- Gulgong, a gully, a ditch;
- Gundagai, going upstream;
- Gundaroo, (Gunning district), big waterhole;
- Jenolan, a foot;
- Jerilderie, plenty of weeds;
- Kameruka, wait till I come back;
- Kiama, (corruption of Kiaremia), place where fish caught from the rocks;
- Killara, always there;
- Mangoplah, (Wagga district), blacks singing;
- Merimbula, place of big snakes;
- Minna Murra, river, (Illawarra district), plenty of fish;
- Mittagong (corruption of Mirragang), place where dingoes play about;
- Moree, white stones or gravel;
- Nambucca, crooked river;
- Narrabeen (corruption of Narrabin), a kind of plum that grew in a bush near mouth of lake;
- Narromine, place for honey;
- Nyngan, place for crawfish;
- Obley, a road;
- Ourimhah, a ring or circle, a boraground;
- Terramungamine, (Dubbo district), place where a black fellow broke his thigh:
- Tintenbar, junction of creeks;
- Tomingley, death adder;
- Tuckurimba, (Lismore), means the junction of two creeks;
- Umberumberka, a rat hole;
- Uralla, a big hill;
- Wagga Wagga, reeling like a drunken man;
- Wallerawang, stripping bark from trees;
- Wantabadgery, getting wet;
- Waroong, home, and was the word for Sydney;
- Wahroonga (a corruption of Waroongah), my home;
- Weetalabah, (Coonabarabran district) place where fire went out;
- Wollombi, meeting of waters;
- Wollongong, an exclamation of fear at first sight of a ship in full sail (this is an additional meaning);
- Woy Woy, a porpoise, very much water, big lagoon;
- Wyong, fresh-running water, place for Christmas-bells;
- Yaralla (Concord, Parramatta River), a camping ground.
Aboriginal Names and Meanings.
(These are the principal places in this district that I am able to give the meaning.—Wm. Wynter, Taree.)
- Bala (the oak), Port Jackson blacks.
- Balderodgery (a small plover).
- Ballah (the oak), Wathi Wathi.
- Ballawrie (Bogan lilly).
- Beggan Beggan (wounding, or many wounded, from buggan, wounding).
- Bela (the oak), Waratherie).
- Berangan (from berain, the naval).
- Bobbiwah (from bobbee, a grandfather).
- Boebuna (derived from bobeen, a father).
- Boorabin (the abdomen).
- Budtha (black).
- Buggeenun (an uncle).
- Bulgandramine (blackfellow with boomerang in hand; should be Bulgan-derra-mine, from Bulgan, a boomerang, Derra, hand, Mine, black fellow) .
- Bulgandrammi (blackfellow with boomerang in hand, should be bulgan-derra-mine, from bulgan a boomerang, derra hand, mine black fellow).
- Bungunyah (a broken place from bungun broken).
- Burra, county Dampier.
- Burra, Flinders.
- Burra, Harden.
- Burra, Murray.
- Burra, Selwyn.
- Burra-badine, Narromine.
- Burra-bebe, Finch.
- Burra-bogie, Warodgong.
- Burra-byong, Bland.
- Burra-ga, Georgina.
- Burra-gate, Auckland.
- Burra-gillo, Benarba.
- Burran bah, Couralie.
- Burran Burran (much burnt grass), county Finch.
- Burran doon, Bonarbor.
- Burran gong, Monteagle.
- Burran-boa, Finch.
- Burran-dana, Mitchell.
- Burran-dong, Wellington.
- Burrandoon, county Finch.
- Burran-gong, Hume.
- Burra-srong, Dudley.
- Burren (burnt grass), Jamieson.
- Burren-dah, Gowen.
- Burren-dong, Jamison.
- Camooyannera, running water, Central Queensland, Camoo; Kangalo dialect, water, Yannera, to run).
- Coabathoo (topknot pigeon).
- Cobocor (eggs).
- Cooredulla (eagle hawk).
- Cubbo (green).
- Cullen (water).
- Cumboogle (a sweet scented gum).
- Ditta ditta (spurwing plover).
- Dooral (see Dooyal).
- Dooyal (hello).
- Dundulla (hail).
- Dundullimal (a terrific hailstorm).
- Dundunga (from dhun the generative organ of the male).
- Dunoon (the womb).
- Eeray (the moon).
- Ena (woman).
- Ena-weena, county Gregory, Warren.
- Ena-weena, Narromine, Dubbo.
- Eura (see eeray).
- Gerah (wind).
- Gindy gindy (prickly heat).
- Girralong (a star).
- Gnarromine (boney blackfellow —gnaroo boney, mine blackfellow).
- Gnoorong (place of abode).
- Goolma (see goolmin).
- Goolmin (brother).
- Goona (a mother).
- Goongong (see Goongun).
- Goongun (floods).
- Goonigul (plains).
- Goowang (fog).
- Gulgorah (the bird called the leatherhead).
- Gumma naldi (derived from gumma, a storm).
- Ingal-bah (should be written “eengilbah,” meaning the place where there was a native well, from “eengil” a well).
- Ingalbo (from Ingle, paining).
- Ingle-bah (place where there was a native well, from eengil a well—should be written “eengilbah.”)
- Mickey-tha-mudthin (tree struck by lightning).
- Micki-bri (from bri a place of and micki lightning).
- Micki-mill (from micki, lightning, and mill, an eye);
- Micki-ty-mulga (from micki lightning, mulga a tree, meaning a place where trees were struck by lightning).
- Mooball (marriage).
- Moogeen (blindness).
- Mooraminah (a religious place, from mooraymin).
- Mudgee (eclipse of the sun).
- Mudgine (eclipse of the sun).
- Mullah (see mulli).
- Mulli (mocking).
- Mungery (sticky mud).
- Munna (flat).
- Narrawa (heat).
- Narromine (see gnarromine).
- Nnumga (slow).
- Noona (sandy place, from nunny, sandy).
- Nooroong (place of abode).
- Norrong (see gnoorong).
- Nurung (dark).
- Nurung (see gnoorong).
- Punt-punt pundaloo (the bell bird).
- Tara, see tarri).
- Tarri (capulating).
- Tomingly (deaf adder).
- Tuabathoo (see coabathoo).
- Unumga (slow).
- Wallan billan (see wallung billung).
- Wallanbillan (see Wallung Billung).
- Wallawa (round).
- Wallung billung (a thick head).Walwa (see wallawa).
- Wambingalong (see womboin goolah).
- Wandoowandong (the evil spirit).
- Warren (a big root).
- Weean (fire).
- Wilier (wet).
- Womboin Goolah (a mob of gray kangaroos).
- Yarran (a cloud).
- Yarran (see yooroong a cloud).
- Yarran-bar (from yarrun a cloud).
- Yarran-billa (from Yarran, a cloud, and billa, a creek).
- Yarran-gery (from yarran a cloud).
- Yarran-gobilla (from yarran a cloud and billa a creek).
- Yarran-jerry (from yarran a cloud)
- Yoorong (a cloud).
Bulga - multiple sources state that "bulga" is an Aboriginal word for mountain or hill. This seems to apply to a number of language groups but not Wiradjuri. Bulga Street in Gulgong is the location of one of the highest points in the town (known as Church Hill).
