The meaning of Yookamurra
and how close is it to Pooginook.
On the road to Waikerie.
I often wonder how places get their names, some are obvious, others not so.
In my neighbourhood we have Adelaide, named after Queen Adelaide, wife of King William, then there's Port Lincoln, named after Lincolnshire by an early explorer, no prizes for guessing where Bordertown is located, and you probably will not be surprised to hear that there's a bridge over the Murray River at the town of Murray Bridge.
A friendly local near Yookamurra.
How then, I wonder as I head north along the Sturt Highway (Charles Sturt, explorer), first past Yookamurra and on towards Waikerie and Pooginook and Moorook and Markaranka and possibly even Punyelroo, how then, did they get their names.
Almost certainly most are of first-nation heritage, many have their original meaning now lost in the mists of time, although Waikerie does seem to be in reference to the local giant moths, named wei kari by the local aboriginal nation, it translates as many wings.
Murray River pelican.
Waikerie is on the Murray River, it's only a small town with around 2500 residents and makes an ideal base for a couple of days exploring up and down the river, poking around in the small towns and mucking about in some of the many conservation parks.
Banrock Estate winery.
It's an interesting part of the state, settled by farmers in 1894 and now know for growing plenty of citrus, stone fruits and grapes.
The local grape farmers are struggling though, after the Chinese government decided, without warning, to slap a %300 duty on the price of imported Australian wines, it's hurt the small farmers and many are feeling the pinch with a glut of grapes flooding the market.
Waikerie motel.
We do our best to help them out over the stay, downing some of the lovely local red wines in the cafes and pubs of the region.
There's still plenty left though, and we'll try and keep them in mind at the bottle shop next time.
Murray River picnic spot.
The Murray river is the main attraction though, and despite the issues facing the grape growers, there's still plenty to do and see in the area, with riverboats and bushwalks featuring.
Sunsets over the river.
And the meaning of Yookamurra?.
It means ‘yesterday’ in the local dialect and best known for the wildlife sanctuary where hairy-nosed wombats, numbats and bilby’s find shelter.
Ohh, and in case you were wondering about the meaning of Pooginook?.
The area of Pooginook was proclaimed by South Australian Governor Galway on 7 October 1915.
It covers an area of 380 square kilometres and its name is reported as being of aboriginal origin.
At the last census there were 7 residents.
And you’ll find both these places about 120 klms apart, via the delightfully named Wombats Rest.
Such a great collection and i always have a fav: the stairs that looks like it was lit by one street or building light. Very cool.
During my first visit 13 years ago, I rode a horse in the Snowy mountains with small group of Australians for a five days and spotted a lone wild Brumby (a black stallion running in the wind), snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef, celebrated my 68th birthday at O'Reilly's high in the rain forest outside of Brisbane, spent time at Uluru and Kata Tjuda, visited Canberra (one of my very best friends lives there with his family had lamb roast, kangaroo roast, kangabangers, lamb sausage, and prawns on the barbie followed by a Pavlova). Spent time in Melbourne and, of course, Sydney. I was in Sydney on Anzac Day and attended three services, the first at 4:30am at the memorial downtown. The second trip that included Gympie, also included a full week in Canberra visiting lots of areas around it and to the coast, visited friends in Adelaide and toured the wine country. I loved the atmosphere and beauty of Byron Bay. I am planning to go back this fall (your spring) and spend a couple of months visiting friends (still planning that trip). Sorry this is so long, but I have had so many wonderful experiences in Australia.