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THE CREATION STORY OF WAHLUU

Mount Panorama 

as told by Wiradyuri Elder Dinawan Dyirribang

 

A long, long time ago there were three brothers. The middle brother was Wahluu and the elder brother was Gaanhabula. Both of these brothers were attracted to the same migay (girl) but the young migay showed more interest in Wahluu.

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Gaanhabula was pretty jealous of his brother so he decided to challenge Wahluu to a gama (spear) throwing contest to see who would win and take the migay for his wife. Wahluu agreed and they went to a special place and lined up a target.

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Gaanhabula got up and threw the first gama. He just missed the target. Wahluu then stepped up and he threw his gama and he got closer to the target.

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On the second throw the same thing happened. Wahluu was closer to the target.

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When they had the third throw Gaanhabula threw his gama and he got really close to the target. He turned around and said to his brother “Well, see if you can beat that!” Wahluu stepped up, threw his gama and he actually hit the target. Before Wahluu could turn around and say “Well, I beat you brother” Gaanhabula was full of rage and he picked up his bundhi (club with a thick knob at its end) and he cracked his brother in the back of the head. Wahluu fell to the ground and when he did all the blood came pouring out of his head and all over the Earth.

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This made the Gundyarri (spirits) angry and they made the ground erupt and lava poured out over Wahluu’s body so what you see today is the shape of Wahluu’s body lying on his side where he’s been killed by his brother.

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The story is about telling people how to deal with their rage and jealousy and you don’t kill people because of that. So it is a very important place.

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It is also a sacred place where a lot of our young men traditionally went through to get their lore and to do initiations. So it’s a very special place.

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So that’s what Wahluu actually means, a young man’s initiation place, and Gaanhabula he’s the second highest mountain over by Canobolas, near Orange.   He was actually turned to stone for what he’d done and so he was kept out of the way then. That’s what these two mountains represent today.