The Time of Wiritjiribin – Tugarah Gunya’marri.
Cold and windy (July / August)
The annual cycle of the D’harawal landscape comprises six seasons, one of which is the season of Tugarah Gunya’marri.
The Wiritjiribin (lyrebird) calls ring out through the bushland as he builds his dancing mounds to attract his potential mates. It is the time of the flowering of the Marrai’uo (Acacia floribunda) which is a sign that the fish are running in the rivers. At the end of this time the Boo’kerrikin (Acacia decurrens) flowers, which indicates the end of the cold, windy weather, and the beginning of the gentle spring rains.
During the Tugarah Gunya’marri the days are getting noticeably longer, but the weather is still cold. Then, with the blooming of the Marrai’uo (Acacia floribunda) comes the cold, southwesterly winds; the children become cranky and the adults become bad-tempered. It is not a good time of year for anyone.
With the blooming of the Marrai’uo (Acacia floribunda) comes the cold, southwesterly winds; the children become cranky and the adults become bad-tempered. It is not a good time of year for anyone.
Frances Bodkin, D’harawal Climate and Natural Resources
However, the calls of Wiritjiribin, the lyrebird, ring through the bushland as he builds his dancing mound and announces his readiness to all potential mates. Soon the winds die down, and the beautiful Boo’kerrikin (Acacia decurrens) blooms, lighting the dull bushland with its glorious golden flowers and heavy perfume. It is a time for preparing for the ceremonies that will take place within the next moon, the celebration of the new beginning, the new awakening.
But Tugarah Gunya’marri is also the time that Boo’gul, the tiny marsupial mice, are most active. It is their time to breed and the time for the males to die. They run madly around their home grounds, chasing the females and mating until they collapse from exhaustion and die.
It is a time for preparing for the ceremonies that will take place within the next moon, the celebration of the new beginning, the new awakening.
Frances Bodkin, D’harawal Climate and Natural Resources
The Illawarra is located on D’harawal land. We acknowledge that the Wodi-Wodi people are the Traditional Custodians of the land and have lived sustainably in this landscape for thousands of years. They understand the complex and interconnected cycles of weather, plants and animals.
Download a PDF of the D’harawal Seasonal Calendar poster here.
We acknowledge and thank Dr Frances Bodkin and illustrator Lorraine Robertson for allowing us to share their work in this story. If you are interested in learning more, we recommend visiting the website D’harawal Stories and ordering the two books: D’harawal Dreaming Stories and D’harawal Climate and Natural Resources, both compiled by Frances Bodkin and illustrated by Lorraine Robertson and published by Envirobook.
