These are the sounds by which she is called, that holy land where I was born. They are the names which the land itself had been hearing for tens of thousands of years.

Apparently it was all written down by Major Sir Thomas Livingston Mitchell, surveying the land in the 1830’s. He recorded the names by which it was known to the Aboriginal people who lived in the countries all around.

As they walked, those old people spoke to the land itself singing it’s beautiful names as homage while they passed through. The land itself is woven with song-lines.

When I lived there as a child no-one ever mentioned this and those people were themselves forbidden to enter the towns. We never saw them. We were taught they had all died away.

It wasn’t until I was in my seventies that I realised the value of the sounds I had heard in childhood, that they were not the english tongue but something far more ancient.

Major Mitchell made his way across the river Murray, which he named for his boss, Sir George Murray. He must have felt he owed the old man something since they had been together through Napoleon’s wars.

Down through the Mallee country to the mountains, (which he called the Grampians), he inquired of the locals for each name. It’s a shame he couldn’t honour larger landmarks such as rivers or a mountain range, with the music which belonged to them.

But his reasons had nothing to do with high motives: for a practical man it was better to question the locals just so you could find it again.

“Werrimull,” we might say,

“Is west of Karawinna by ten k’s,

and ten k’s east of Bambil, and

fifty west/south west from Mildura.

It’s down in the Millewa region, by the forest

and near to Lake Cullullerane.”

These are the words I heard.

In the land where I was born.

Annuello Bambill Benetook Boinka Buronga

Berriwillock Cabarita Cal-lal Carwarp

Chillingollah Chinkapook Curlwaa Gol-Gol

Duddo Hattah Iraak Irymple Kurnwill

Manangatang Manya Merebin Mittyak

Meatian Meringur Merrinee Menindee

Mildura Monack Morkalla Mourquong Mulcra

Murnungin Nandaly Nangiloc Narung

Natya Ngallo Ninda Nowie Nowingie

Nullawil Nunga Nyah-Nyah Nyarrin

Nyarraby Ouyen Pallarang Panitya

Patchewollock Piambe Piangil Pirlta

Pira Polisbet Pooncarie Speewa.

Tarrango Tol-Tol

Torrita Tunart Trinita Turoar Turiff

Towaninny Tutye Tyalla

Tyntynder Underbool Vinifera Wagant

Waitche Walpeup Wandown Werrimull

Wemen Winnambool Woomelang Woorinen

Willa Yelta Yararra Yungera Yatpool.