Kyneton in Macedon Ranges Shire, Victoria, Australia — Oceania
Gabi mele Taungurung (Daagung Wurrung) Biik
(Greetings to Taungurung Country!)
Photographed by Dean Barton-Ancliffe, August 31, 2026
1. Greetings to Taungurung Country Marker
Taungurung people occupied much of central Victoria. The vast area of our country extended to the Campaspe River in the west, Mt Buffalo in the east, almost to Benalla in the north and south to the top of the Great Dividing Range. Our forebears associated with their neighbouring language groups through ceremonies, language and kinship ties. Taungurung and adjoining language groups formed an alliance called the Kulin Nation which shared stories, language and customs.
The people of the Naterrak-bulok clan once occupied the area around the Kyneton region. They were one of nine Taungurung clans and each clan belonged to either Bundjil (Wedge-tailed Eagle) or Waang (Crow) moieties. The moieties were used in a structure to control marriage
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The Kyneton region provided an abundance of food for the Naterrak-bulok clan. Women collected and gathered mirnong (yam daisies), balim gumbada (bracken fern), garrawang (apple berries) and buliyt (native cherry tree). The women also gathered dulim (tussock grass) that was used for weaving binak (baskets), all the while foraging for small animals. The men crafted kulamon from trees to carry food and used bark from trees to erect yilam (shelters).
Taungurung people practiced land management to nurture native root plants, which require lots of sun to flourish. They would burn the crop to keep the taller plants from dominating, fertilizing the ground at the same time. To our people, the land is the history book.
"We ask that you treat the land with respect and the land in turn will look after you"
Waang the Crow
All Kulin ate their food raw and was always sick during the winter. There were seven women who never complained about the cold and beautiful smells came from
Photographed by Dean Barton-Ancliffe, August 31, 2026
2. Greetings to Taungurung Country Marker in Kyneton Community Park
The women loved honey ants but were afraid of snakes. Waang put some baby snakes inside a hollow log and sealed it. He told the women there were honey ants inside and that they should use the digging sticks to break it open. All the snakes came out and the women started hitting the ground to keep the snakes away from them, their sticks broke off and Waang took off with them.
The women were calling Waang a thief and abusing him. All this noise attracted the attention of Bundjil and the women told Bundjil that Waang had stolen the secret of fire. Bundjil asked his two nephews to chase after Waang and get the sticks back. Waang flew so fast that one of the sticks caught fire and he dropped it. Waang flew even faster and all the sticks caught fire and burning Waang and turning him black.
That's how the crow became black.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Parks & Recreational Areas • Women.
Location. 37° 15.248′ S, 144° 26.94′ E. Marker is in Kyneton, Victoria, in Macedon Ranges Shire. It can be reached from Clowes Street west of Ebden Street when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 14 Clowes Street, Kyneton VIC 3444, Australia. Touch for directions.
Regionally, it is in Oceania, in Australasia, in the Pacific Ocean, in South Pacific, on the Pacific Rim, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Greetings to Taungurung Country - Northern Marker (about 90 meters away, measured in a direct line); Kyneton Botanical Gardens (approx. 0.2 kilometers away); Centenary of the Shire of Kyneton (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); McKenna Memorial Drive (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Kyneton Old Scholars War Memorial (approx. 0.6 kilometers away); Kyneton War Memorial (approx. 0.6 kilometers away); Kyneton Destinations (approx. 0.7 kilometers away); Swimming Pool Circa 1910 (approx. 0.8 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Kyneton.
Also see . . . Taungurung. Wikipedia
The Taungurung people, also spelled Daungwurrung, are an Indigenous Australian people who are one of the Kulin nations in present-day Victoria, Australia. They consist of nine clans whose traditional language is the Taungurung language.(Submitted on October 1, 2026, by Dean Barton-Ancliffe of Rowville, Victoria.)
Their Country is to the north of the Great Dividing Range in the watersheds of the Broken, Delatite, Coliban, Goulburn and Campaspe Rivers. They lived to the north of, and were closely associated with, the Woiwurrung speaking Wurundjeri people.
They were also known by white settlers as the Devil's River Tribe (clans from the Mansfield region) or Goulburn River Tribe (clans from around the Goulburn River region)
Credits. This page was last revised on October 12, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 1, 2026, by Dean Barton-Ancliffe of Rowville, Victoria. This page has been viewed 11 times since then. Last updated on October 11, 2026, by Dean Barton-Ancliffe of Rowville, Victoria. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 1, 2026, by Dean Barton-Ancliffe of Rowville, Victoria. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
