Aboriginal place names

[funkychicken]

Meringandan - Fire Clay

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

I don't suppose any-one knows exactly which place means "your finger, you fool" or if that's an Aussie urban myth?

(Allegedly one of our more... "intelligent" explorers would point at landmarks, expecting the local natives to tell him what they called it... )

[bitingmidge]

Malibu


Cheers,

P
(sorry, just a cheap link to my photo blog! )

[artme]

Got to wondering about tha Aboriginal way of dealing with plurals.
Seems common practice for a word to be repeated to denote the plural.
E.gs. Waga Wagga = crows
Grong Grong = stones
Walla Walla = ? Bungle Bungle = ? Mitta Mitta = ? Book Book = ? etc.

Would be interesting to do some direct English translations. For instance, would one be able to "Grong the Wagga Wagga" ?

[Squirrel]

The road I grew up on was called Carinya which apparently is translated as "Happy Home"...

Squirrel.

[dazzler]

We drove through "Cooma" much to the surprise of a northern aboriginal in the car who said in his language it meant "poo".

Seemed like a nice place to me and didnt smell at all.

[dazzler]

Got to wondering about tha Aboriginal way of dealing with plurals.
Seems common practice for a word to be repeated to denote the plural.
E.gs. Waga Wagga = crows
Grong Grong = stones
Walla Walla = ? Bungle Bungle = ? Mitta Mitta = ? Book Book = ? etc.

can I buy wheel wheel wheel wheel for car?

[Koala-Man]

I have a theory that almost all aboriginal place name mean "Get off my land you white %$$#@*!!" or something similar.

Imagine the scene: the intrepid explorer comes across a group of indiginous folk as asks them "What is this place called?"

The tribal warrior points back the way the Europeans came and says "Wagga Wagga", which in his Wiradjuri means ""Get off my land you white %$$#@*!!"

Sturt, or whoever he is, looks in the direction the tribesman is pointing and noticed a flock of birds.

"Aha, Place of Many Crows!"

Anyway, that's my theory and I'm sticking to it.

Gaz.

[dazzler]

Apparently Kangaroo means "dont know what your talking about" or similar when cook pointed at them.

[BernieP]

G'Day

Taree "wild fig"

Cheers
Bernie

[nine fingers]

I started school at GNOTUK. Nearby is Lake Gnotuk ,saltier than the sea,no fish or bird life , hence no tucker.
regards nine fingers.

[spokeshave]

Got a few around here,

Tarrawingee, Mudgegonga, Dandongadale, Tawonga, Bogong, Whorouly, Howlong, Wangaratta........

As mentioned earlier, i've always thought Tangambalanga was a cracker of a name.

Steven.

[AlexS]

Tumut = 'River runs both ways'

[astrid]

was told at school in 1970's
Mordiyalluc- deep water
moorabin- resting place

dont know how accurate this is.

Astrid

[Incoming!]

Kooralbyn - Place of copperhead snakes