The Dreamtime Story

Connected to Point Walter, and Blackwall Reach in Western Australia

Averil Riley

Please note the author is not and Aboriginal Person. Information in this powerpoint has been collected from an Aboriginal Tour at Kings Park, 16 March, 2010 where Greg Nannup the tour guide provided

some information, the rest has been sourced form other sources, as referenced.

• An information board at Point Walter explains it was an important spot for the Whadjug women.

• Women and children learnt to catch fish, dig for native yams and get fresh water from limestone caves.

• Blackwall Reach was called “Jennalup”.

• Every year, to get to the gathering in Fremantle, the men would walk on the northern side, (Kings Park) side of the river.

• The men crossed the sandbar at Point Walter to meet the women. Local Aboriginal people followed this ritual for thousands of years.

• The Noongar people believed that a tall female spirit, “Tjunta” who had long flowing white hair towered across the landscape.

• In her hair were unborn babies, these dropped from her hair and turned into Kulbardi (magpies).

• The Milky Way in the night sky is Tjunta’s hair, and the stars are her children.

• The winds over the river blew a lock of Tjunta’s hair and created the sandbar across the Swan River at Point Walter (Creative Spirits, 2010).

Photgraph sourced from http://www.recfishwest.org.au/JettiesPlatformsPtWalter.htm

• The deepest part of the river, Blackwall Reach

was Tjunta’s last step (Yelapkitj Moort Nynungar,

2010).

Unless otherwise stated, all photographs in this PowerPoint were personally taken by Averil Riley

References

• Creative Spirits (2010). Accessed on April 25, 2010 from http://www.creativespirits.info/ozwest/perth/swanriver.html#ixzz0m65MXFmp 

• Indigenous Tours (2010).

Accessed April 25, 2010 from

http://www.indigenouswas.com.swan.html

• Nannup, G. (2010). Personal communication Kings Park Indigenous Tour March 2010.

Perth Tours (2010).

• Yelakitj Moort Nyungar Association Incorporated (2010).

http://www.nyungar.com.au/tours.html