Wadawurrung Place Names
Werribee: Wirribi Yaluk — River of the Spine
Region and Language Group
Werribee lies on the boundary between Wadawurrung and Woiwurrung (Wurundjeri) Country — two closely related clans of the Kulin Nation. The Wadawurrung language belongs to the Kulin language family and is traditionally spoken across Country stretching from the You Yangs, Geelong, Ballarat, and along the Werribee River (Wirribi Yaluk) to the western shores of Port Phillip Bay (Clark 1990; Wadawurrung Traditional Owners 2023).
Werribee
The name Werribee derives from the Wadawurrung word Wirribi Yaluk, meaning “spine” or “backbone.” The river’s winding shape across the plains inspired this name — a natural spine running through Country. For countless generations, Wirribi Yaluk has provided food, water, ceremony, and story. The river was a meeting place of peoples, where eel migrations, shellfish beds, and freshwater pools supported a thriving ecosystem (Clark & Heydon 2002).
Country and the River
Before colonisation, the lower Werribee valley was a dynamic environment of volcanic plains, wetlands, and coastal mangroves, sustained by the seasonal flow of the river. The Wadawurrung and Woiwurrung harvested short-finned eels, bream, blackfish, ducks, and freshwater mussels (Howitt 1904). Archaeological evidence of stone tools, hearths, and shell middens along the riverbanks shows continuous occupation for thousands of years (Clark & Heydon 2002). For the Wadawurrung, the river was also spiritual — a law-bearing waterway watched over by ancestral beings.
The Bunyip of Wirribi Yaluk
One of the oldest stories from this area is that of the Bunyip, a powerful spirit-creature said to live in deep river pools and billabongs. In Wadawurrung tradition, the Bunyip was a guardian of water and law, punishing those who disrespected the river or took life without ceremony. Early colonists recorded Bunyip sightings near Werribee in the 1840s, often misunderstanding them as superstitions or “monsters” (Smyth 1878; Reed 1969). In truth, these stories carried ecological and ethical knowledge — reminders to treat Wirribi Yaluk as living spirit, not as a resource to be exploited.
Contact, Conflict, and the Batman Brothers
The 1830s brought immense upheaval to Wirribi Yaluk. Before the formal establishment of the Port Phillip District, John Batman, a grazier and trader from Van Diemen’s Land, travelled through the region in 1835–36. He sought to claim large tracts of land under what became known as the “Batman Treaty,” signed near Merri Creek with Woiwurrung and Wathaurong representatives (Boyce 2011; Presland 2023). Although the treaty was later declared invalid by Governor Bourke, Batman’s expeditions opened the way for rapid squatting on Wadawurrung land.
John Batman’s brother, Henry Batman, followed soon after, establishing an outstation on the Werribee River. Contemporary reports and later historical accounts describe a violent encounter between Henry Batman’s men and Wadawurrung people near Werribee in the late 1830s — sometimes referred to as the Werribee Massacre (Cahir 2012; Clark 1995). Several Wadawurrung people were killed, and survivors driven from the area. This episode marked one of several early frontier conflicts along the lower Werribee and Barwon rivers — acts of violence that accompanied pastoral expansion and disrupted sacred access to Wirribi Yaluk.
Colonial Expansion and Environmental Change
By the 1840s, pastoralists such as the Chirnside brothers had consolidated vast estates along the Werribee, introducing sheep and cattle grazing, fencing, and irrigation works that altered the river’s natural flow (Wyndham Historical Society 2020). Traditional food sources declined, wetlands were drained, and the ecological rhythm of the plains shifted. Yet, oral histories and ethnographic records show that Wadawurrung families continued to maintain cultural practices, revisiting the river for fishing, ceremony, and memory (Atkinson 2002).
Renewal and Recognition
In the 21st century, Wirribi Yaluk has become a focal point for cultural renewal. The Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation works with local councils and environmental groups to restore native vegetation, protect artefacts, and reintroduce traditional place names. Educational programs now teach visitors about the Bunyip stories, the Batman brothers’ incursions, and the deep resilience of the Wadawurrung people — reminding all that Werribee’s true history lies beneath the water’s surface and within the river’s spine.
Conclusion
The story of Werribee / Wirribi Yaluk is one of spirit, survival, and renewal. From ancient songlines and the watchful Bunyip to the violent colonial frontier and ongoing restoration, the river remains a living record of Victoria’s shared history. Its meandering path still marks the backbone of Country — carrying both memory and healing for the generations who continue to walk beside it.
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.
Presland, G. (2023) First People: The Eastern Kulin of Melbourne, Port Phillip and Central Victoria. Museum Victoria Publishing.
Reed, A. W. (1969) Aboriginal Myths, Legends and Fables. A.H. & A.W. Reed.
Smyth, R. B. (1878) The Aborigines of Victoria: With Notes Relating to the Habits of the Natives of Other Parts of Australia and Tasmania. Victorian Government Printer.
Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation (2023) Caring for Wirribi Yaluk: Country, Culture, and Community. Geelong.
Wyndham Historical Society (2020) Werribee Park: Pastoralism and Change on the Plains.
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.