MOTHER MOUNTAIN
Ancient Dreamtime stories about how Mt Gulaga was created connect the Yuin people with their long history in the area.
GULAGA IS A REMNANT of an extinct volcano that last erupted between 95 and 90 million years ago. It is surrounded by the vestiges of two smaller volcanic cones – Montague Island (see page 110) and Little Dromedary. All three features are spiritually important to the Yuin and central to their Dreamtime creation stories. Legend has it that Daramulun created Mother Mountain (Gulaga), along with her sons, Barunguba (Montague Island) and Jungagita (Little Dromedary).
Yuin storyteller and artist Cheryl Davison, who lives in the foothills of Gulaga, continues passing on her people’s stories, to provide “a link back to who we are and what we have experienced”. “Our ancestors have lived here forever and that’s something that we really need to know and feel,” she says. “These stories are ancient; they are older than the pyramids. Telling our children their stories grounds them, reminds them where they come from and who they are. It gives us our identity and our strength. It’s crucial that these stories have a long life.”