Toowoomba
Perched atop the Great Dividing Range, Toowoomba sits on the traditional lands of the Giabal and Jarowair peoples. The city's name derives from an Aboriginal word for a small native melon that once grew abundantly across the volcanic soils of the eastern Darling Downs.
The Giabal people The Giabal people are the Traditional Owners of the Toowoomba area and surrounding eastern Darling Downs region in south-east Queensland. Their country encompasses the rich volcanic soils of the range and the upper reaches of the Condamine River system. The Giabal are linguistically related to the Bundjalung language chain of northern New South Wales and south-east Queensland. The Toowoomba region has been home to the Giabal people for tens of thousands of years. The name "Toowoomba" itself likely derives from "Tor-woom-ba," a local Aboriginal word for a small native melon that grew abundantly in the area. The springs and watercourses of the range provided reliable water sources and supported diverse plant and animal life that sustained Giabal communities. The Giabal people share custodianship of the Toowoomba area with the neighbouring Jarowair people, whose country extends to the north. Together they maintained the landscape through sophisticated land management practices and participated in the great Bunya Nut gatherings held in the nearby Bunya Mountains.
The Jarowair people The Jarowair people are the Traditional Owners of the northern Toowoomba region, the Bunya Mountains, and parts of the northern Darling Downs in south-east Queensland. Their country extends across some of the most culturally significant landscapes in Aboriginal Australia, including the Bunya Mountains where the great inter-nation Bunya Nut festivals were held. The Gummingurru stone arrangement at Gowrie Junction, north of Toowoomba, is one of Australia's most important Aboriginal heritage sites, estimated to be around 4,000 years old. Located in Jarowair country, it served as a men's initiation (Bora) site and a gathering place for groups travelling to the Bunya Nut Festival. The festival itself was one of the largest regular gatherings of Aboriginal peoples in eastern Australia, drawing groups from hundreds of kilometres away every two to three years when the bunya pines fruited. Today, the Gummingurru Aboriginal Site continues to be cared for by Jarowair descendants and the Gummingurru Aboriginal Corporation, who work to preserve and share this important cultural heritage through guided tours and educational programs.
Made with love in Meanjin
Always will be is a privately run, Aboriginal owned and led project that aims to improve the connection people feel to country and the understanding people have about Aboriginal and Torres Strait cultures, history and people.