The Origin of Derbal Nara - George Fletcher Moore

A Nyitting story, summarised by George Fletcher Moore, recounts how the islands were cut off from the mainland by the sea at Cockburn Sound.

The natives have a tradition that Rottnest, Carnac, and Garden Island, once formed part of the mainland, and that the intervening ground was thickly covered with trees; which took fire in some unaccountable way, and burned with such intensity that the ground split asunder with a great noise, and the sea rushed in between, cutting off these islands from the mainland.¹

The Derbal Nara coastline has undergone many changes in the last 8,000 years. To learn more visit A Changing Coastline.

Nyungar words used on this page

Nyungar	English	Audio Pronunciation
Derbal Nara	Cockburn Sound
Nyitting	Cold times, creation time

References

1. Moore 1884b:8 cited in Hallam, Fire and Hearth, 112.