KNOWN as the people of reefs and rushes, the Boandik people have many Dreamtime stories based around the region’s landscape.
Aunty Michelle Jacquelin-Furr, a local Boandik elder, said despite the legends being lesser known in recent years, the stories were still told within the Boandik community.
“The most well known story, the Craitbul story, talks about the creation of the volcanoes within the region and when there were all of these eruptions,” Aunty Michelle said.
“The story speaks about Mount Muirhead, which is known as Beleter, Parrem which is Mount Schank as well as WarWar, the Blue Lake.
According to the story,Craitbul and his family settled at Beleter one night where they buried their food to cook overnight.
However, they soon fled after hearing the shriek of bullin – a bird – which signalled approaching danger.
Aunty Michelle said the story talks about how Craitbul and his family fled to Mount Schank where they once again heard the sound before fleeing to Mount Gambier.
“They no longer heard the noise, yet when they made their oven it began to flood, so they left yet again.”
Aunty Michelle said Mount Gambier has many areas of importance to the Boandik community, including the Umpherston Sinkhole – known as Ballambool.
“Ballambool means buttercup because of the flowers which sprung naturally there,” she said.
Aunty Michelle said popular tourist attractions and public spaces were important to the Boandik, including Frew Park which is seen as a ceremonial meeting place.
“Vansittart Park was another meeting place, so was the Cave Gardens, or Thugi as it is also called,” she said.
“The Boandik people would also fish at Piccaninnie and at Ewens Ponds and were known for living in wet, swamp-like areas.
“But there is also the legend of the Boandik man who lives in the Cave Gardens.
“He took shelter there after a journey around Beachport and Kingston and some say he is still in there.”
Aunty Michelle said the Cave Gardens would have been a “much smaller opening” and that would be where the Boandik would camp around.
“It would have been just trees and bush with kangaroos around so it would have been a camp area where they knew they could get water and it may have been a site of initiation as well but we are not sure.”
A sound and light show is held nightly at the Cave Gardens, sharing a Dreamtime story connected to the precinct.
Aunty Michelle has also published a short book detailing her own family history as part of the Boandik community.
“My great grandmother was a Boandik woman who lived in Penola,” she said.
“She had quite an interesting and exciting life as she was taught how to read and write by Mary MacKillop herself.
“This got her out of quite a bit of trouble later on as she was one of few who could defend herself.”
Aunty Michelle has a possum sewn cloak which she holds dearly as it details her great grandmother’s story.
Her book Annie’s Story is available from the Riddoch Art Gallery in Mount Gambier.
