Wadawurrung Place Names
Torquay: History, Country, and Connection
Torquay, the gateway to the Great Ocean Road, is a town celebrated for its beaches, surf culture, and tourism. But beneath this modern identity lies a much older story: this is Wadawurrung Country, shaped by deep time, Dreaming, and ecological knowledge. The name “Torquay” comes from colonial naming practices, yet the older stories remain inscribed in the land, water, sky, and living beings.
The Meaning of the Name “Torquay”
The town was originally known as Spring Creek, referencing the stream that flows into the ocean. This creek was a vital camping, hunting, and ceremonial site for the Wadawurrung. In the late 1800s, settlers renamed the place Torquay after the English seaside resort town in Devon, erasing the original Aboriginal identity.
For the Wadawurrung, however, the creek and coastal dunes remained part of a cultural landscape where Country, spirit, and kinship converged.
Wadawurrung Stories and Country
Spring Creek and Murrangurk: The burial ground along Spring Creek was central to the story of William Buckley, who was accepted as the reincarnated spirit of the warrior Murrangurk.
Wetlands and Swans: Black swans thrived in the swamps and wetlands around Torquay and nearby Lake Connewarre. Their arrival and nesting were both ecological signals and woven into story.
Fishing and Fibre Technologies: Wadawurrung families wove ropes and nets from grasses and reeds, some extending for dozens of metres, to fish cooperatively in creeks and shallow estuaries.
Sea Country: The coastline itself was a site of law, ceremony, and subsistence, with ocean and freshwater systems linked through Dreaming stories.
Native Animals and Birds of the Torquay Area
The Wadawurrung people relied on and cared for the rich biodiversity of Torquay:
Mammals: Eastern grey kangaroos, wallabies, possums, echidnas, and bandicoots were hunted for food, skins, and tools.
Marine life: Fish such as snapper, bream, and flathead were caught in nets and traps. Shellfish like mussels, abalone, and limpets were collected along the reefs, leaving behind extensive midden sites.
Birds: Emus were hunted inland, while seabirds like gulls and cormorants were taken from the coast. Swans, ducks, and other wetland birds were central to diets and ceremony.
Reptiles and amphibians: Lizards, snakes, and frogs featured in food, medicine, and Dreaming.
Each species carried totemic and ecological responsibilities, meaning hunting was regulated by law and ceremony.
Native Plants and Seaweed Use
The coastal plains and dunes supported an abundance of plant life that was central to Wadawurrung life:
Murnong (yam daisy): The staple carbohydrate, dug from volcanic soils and baked in earth ovens.
Kangaroo grass and wallaby grass: Managed through fire, used for seeds (ground into flour) and fibre for nets and ropes.
Reeds and rushes: Harvested for weaving baskets, mats, and fishing traps.
Banksia and eucalyptus: Used for fire, medicine, and ceremony.
Coastal shrubs and herbs: Plants like pigface provided edible fruits and medicinal sap.
Seaweed was particularly valuable:
Food: Some species were eaten fresh or dried.
Preservation: Seaweed was used to wrap and store food, protecting it from pests.
Medicine and ceremony: Certain seaweeds were burned or applied for healing.
Fishing tools: Strands of kelp and other fibrous seaweeds were incorporated into nets or lines.
These practices linked marine and terrestrial environments into a seamless cultural economy.
William Buckley and the Spirit of Murrangurk
In 1803, William Buckley escaped the Sullivan Bay penal settlement and wandered to Spring Creek. At a burial ground, he found the grave of Murrangurk, a Wadawurrung warrior, and picked up his broken spear. When the Manmart clan of the Wadawurrung discovered him, they believed Buckley to be the reincarnated spirit of Murrangurk.
This recognition brought Buckley into Wadawurrung kinship, saving his life and allowing him to live among the people for 32 years. His survival depended not only on Wadawurrung generosity but also on the deep ecological knowledge that guided life around Spring Creek and Torquay.
Colonisation and Change
The 1830s brought squatters, sheep, and fencing to Torquay. Waterholes and swamps were seized, yam-daisy fields destroyed, and food sources blocked. Wadawurrung people resisted but were met with violence, displacement, and the suppression of cultural practices. By the late 19th century, Spring Creek was renamed Torquay, its Aboriginal history deliberately obscured.
Torquay Today
Torquay is now a global surf hub, home to Bells Beach and a vibrant coastal community. Yet its older layers of story are re-emerging:
Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation leads cultural heritage protection and ecological education.
Wetland restoration projects reconnect swans, fish, and plants to their habitats.
Cultural revival highlights rope- and net-making, smoking ceremonies, and storytelling linked to Torquay and its coast.
Conclusion
Torquay is more than a surf town. It is a place where Wadawurrung Dreaming, biodiversity, and colonial history meet. From swans in the swamps to seaweed in nets, from the burial ground at Spring Creek to the reefs along the coast, Torquay remains a living cultural landscape.
To look at Torquay today is to see not just beaches and waves, but a continuum of stories and connections—a reminder that this Country holds memory, law, and life beyond the colonial names imposed upon it.
References
Barwick, D. (1998). Rebellion at Coranderrk. Canberra: Aboriginal History Monograph.
Blake, B. (1991). Wathawurrung and the Colac Language of Southern Victoria. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.
Broome, R. (2005). Aboriginal Victorians: A History Since 1800. Sydney: Allen & Unwin.
Clark, I.D. (1990). Aboriginal Languages and Clans: An Historical Atlas of Western and Central Victoria, 1800–1900. Melbourne: Monash Publications in Geography.
Clark, I.D. (1995). Scars in the Landscape: A Register of Massacre Sites in Western Victoria, 1803–1859. Canberra: Aboriginal Studies Press.
Critchett, J. (1990). A Distant Field of Murder: Western District Frontiers, 1834–1848. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press.
Presland, G. (1994). Aboriginal Melbourne: The Lost Land of the Kulin People. Melbourne: Harriland Press.
Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation (2023). Cultural Heritage and Country Reports. Geelong: WTOAC.
Zola, N. & Gott, B. (1992). Koorie Plants, Koorie People: Traditional Aboriginal Food, Fibre and Healing Plants of Victoria. Melbourne: Koorie Heritage Trust.
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.
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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.