Moorabool River: Moorabool — The River of Spirits and Shadows

Region and Language Group

The Moorabool River, known traditionally as Moorabool, flows through the heart of Wadawurrung Country, within the Kulin Nation of south-central Victoria. Rising in the Central Highlands near Ballan, the river winds through Bacchus Marsh and Geelong, joining the Barwon River near Fyansford (Clark 1990; Clark & Heydon 2002).

The name Moorabool derives from the Wadawurrung word murrabul, meaning “ghost” or “shadow.” It reflects both the physical play of light and mist along the water and the spiritual belief that ancestral presences inhabit the river (Wadawurrung Traditional Owners 2023).

For thousands of years, the Moorabool River has been a living artery of Wadawurrung Country — a pathway of food, ceremony, and spirit. Its winding flow connects upland springs with coastal plains, feeding wetlands, red gums, and human communities alike. In Wadawurrung cosmology, water is not merely resource but relation: the shadowed spirit of Country, alive and aware. The name Moorabool therefore speaks of both reflection and depth — of the unseen world flowing beneath the visible.

Country and Ecology

Before colonisation, the Moorabool valley supported a rich ecology of wetlands, floodplains, and basalt ridges. The river’s upper reaches near Lal Lal and Ballan were surrounded by forested gorges and permanent waterholes. Further downstream, wide floodplains provided fertile hunting and gathering grounds.

The Wadawurrung constructed eel traps, fish weirs, and stone channels to manage seasonal migrations, showing detailed ecological knowledge of flow cycles and species behaviour (Howitt 1904; Pascoe 2014). Camp sites lined the riverbanks, evidenced by hearths, stone tools, and shell middens (Clark & Heydon 2002). Women cultivated and harvested murnong (yam daisy) and other tuber plants across the surrounding volcanic soils, contributing to a sustainable and thriving food system.

Spiritual and Cultural Significance

The Moorabool River was, and remains, a spiritual being. The Wadawurrung describe murrabul, the spirit or “shadow” people of the river, who live in the deepest pools and appear in the mists at dawn. Stories tell of water guardians who ensure balance: when water is treated with care, abundance follows; when disrespected, the river withdraws its gifts (Reed 1969; Smyth 1878).

Ceremonies were held to honour these beings, often involving singing, ochre painting, and the offering of woven grasses or small stones. This spiritual law guided environmental management — protecting water quality, fish breeding grounds, and sacred places along the river system (Atkinson 2002).

Sacred Waterfalls: Lal Lal Falls and the Bunjil Story

At the headwaters of the Moorabool lies Lal Lal Falls, one of Victoria’s most sacred Aboriginal sites. For the Wadawurrung, this is the resting place of Bunjil, the wedge-tailed eagle — creator of land, law, and people.

According to tradition, Bunjil shaped the rivers and mountains, giving law to all beings before taking his place in the sky. His spirit remains in the waters of Lal Lal, where the mist rising from the falls is said to be Bunjil’s breath — the renewal of life and balance (Massola 1968; Wadawurrung Traditional Owners 2023).

The falls were a ceremonial gathering site, where clans met to exchange goods, stories, and law. The roaring water symbolised creation’s voice — a constant reminder of the connection between sound, spirit, and flow.

Colonial Encounters at Lal Lal Falls

By the 1840s, missionaries and settlers documented Aboriginal ceremonies at Lal Lal, witnessing large gatherings of Wadawurrung and neighbouring peoples (Clark 1990). However, as colonial settlement intensified, Lal Lal Falls was transformed from sacred site to scenic destination. By the 1860s, it was promoted as a tourist attraction, while Indigenous ceremonies were restricted or banned (Cahir 2012). Despite these losses, Wadawurrung families maintained their connection, preserving the Bunjil story and continuing quiet visitation. Today, the falls are recognised for both their ecological and spiritual significance.

Colonial Impacts on the River

Land Clearance and Agriculture

From the 1830s onward, settlers cleared the Moorabool’s forests and grasslands for sheep and cattle grazing. This led to widespread erosion, sedimentation, and the destruction of wetlands that had long sustained Wadawurrung economies. Fire-stick farming and ecological burning practices were replaced by European agriculture, erasing the delicate balance between grassland and waterway (Clark 1995).

Damming and Diversions

By the late 19th century, the Moorabool became a major water source for the cities of Geelong and Ballarat. The construction of the Lal Lal Reservoir (1868), followed by the Bungal and She Oaks reservoirs, dramatically altered the river’s natural flow. Today, over 90% of its original water is diverted for agriculture, industry, and urban use, leaving downstream sections dry or stagnant for much of the year (Wadawurrung Traditional Owners 2023).

Pollution and Decline

By the 20th century, industrial runoff, livestock erosion, and reduced flow had degraded the river’s water quality.
Fish populations plummeted, wetlands dried, and cultural heritage sites were buried or eroded. The ecological systems that once thrived along the Moorabool’s banks fell into crisis.

Cultural Loss and Survival

Impact on Wadawurrung People

The destruction of the Moorabool mirrored the dispossession of the Wadawurrung. Traditional fishing, eel harvesting, and ceremony — once central to life along the river — were interrupted by colonial violence and mission systems. Mission policies restricted access to sacred waterways, separating people from their food sources and ancestral sites.
Yet, oral histories kept the memory of the Moorabool as a living ancestor — a being that holds the spirit of Country even when its waters run low.

Lal Lal Falls Today

Despite centuries of disruption, Lal Lal Falls remains a site of deep cultural significance.
For the Wadawurrung, it represents both continuity and loss — the enduring spirit of Bunjil amidst a landscape forever changed.
While the site attracts visitors as a natural wonder, the Wadawurrung’s ongoing custodianship ensures that its spiritual voice and law of water are never forgotten.

The River Today

One of the Most Stressed Rivers in Victoria

The Moorabool is now considered one of the most over-extracted rivers in the state. Environmental studies show that some reaches flow at less than 10% of their natural volume.
Endangered species, including native fish, platypus, and waterbirds, depend on fragmented and declining habitats.

Conservation and Restoration

Community and Traditional Owner groups — including People for a Living Moorabool, the Corangamite Catchment Management Authority, and the Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation — are leading the river’s renewal. Projects focus on restoring flow, revegetating riverbanks, and reviving cultural fire and traditional management practices.
The approach recognises that caring for water is also caring for spirit and memory.

Broader Context: Water and Colonisation in Victoria

The fate of the Moorabool reflects a wider colonial pattern. Across Victoria — from the Barwon to the Loddon and Yarra — rivers were diverted, dammed, and exploited for settler towns and agriculture. These interventions privileged colonial expansion while displacing Indigenous peoples and destroying sacred water systems (Boyce 2011). Even today, Aboriginal communities face unequal access to water rights, highlighting that water justice remains central to reconciliation and ecological repair.

Conclusion

The story of the Moorabool River — from its sacred origins at Lal Lal Falls to its present challenges — reveals the deep interconnection between water, culture, and spirit. For the Wadawurrung, the river is more than landscape: it is Murrabul, the shadow of ancestors flowing through time. Its healing depends on remembering the law of Bunjil — to protect, restore, and respect the living balance between land, sky, and water.

References

Atkinson, J. (2002) Trauma Trails: Recreating Songlines – The Transgenerational Effects of Trauma in Indigenous Australia. Spinifex Press.
Barwick, D. (1984) ‘Mapping the Past: An Atlas of Victorian Aboriginal Clans’, Aboriginal History Journal, 8(1), pp. 100–131.
Boyce, J. (2011) 1835: The Founding of Melbourne and the Conquest of Australia. Black Inc.
Cahir, F. (2012) Black Gold: Aboriginal People on the Goldfields of Victoria, 1850–1870. ANU Press.
Clark, I. D. (1990) Aboriginal Languages and Clans: An Historical Atlas of Western and Central Victoria, 1800–1900. Monash Publications.
Clark, I. D. (1995) Scars in the Landscape: A Register of Massacre Sites in Western Victoria 1803–1859. Aboriginal Studies Press.
Clark, I. D. and Heydon, T. (2002) The Confluence of the Werribee and the Lerderderg: An Environmental and Historical Study. Heritage Council of Victoria.
Howitt, A. W. (1904) The Native Tribes of South-East Australia. Macmillan.
Joyce, E. (2010) Volcanoes in Victoria. Geological Society of Australia.
Massola, A. (1968) Bunjil’s Cave: Myths, Legends and Superstitions of the Aborigines of South-East Australia. Lansdowne Press.
Pascoe, B. (2014) Dark Emu: Aboriginal Australia and the Birth of Agriculture. Magabala Books.
Reed, A. W. (1969) Aboriginal Myths, Legends and Fables. A.H. & A.W. Reed.
Smyth, R. B. (1878) The Aborigines of Victoria. Victorian Government Printer.
Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation (2023) Caring for Moorabool and Lal Lal: Country, Culture and Community. Geelong.

Written, Researched and Directed by James Vegter (22 September 2025)

MLA

Sharing the truth of Indigenous and colonial history through film, education, land, and community.
www.magiclandsalliance.org

Magic Lands Alliance acknowledges the Traditional Owners, Custodians, and First Nations communities across Australia and internationally. We honour their enduring connection to the sky, land, waters, language, and culture. We pay respect to Elders past, present, and emerging, and to all First Peoples’ communities and language groups. This article draws only on publicly available information; many cultural practices remain the intellectual property of their respective communities.

Moorabool River – Moorabool