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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY

The Australian Government acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and acknowledges their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respects to the people, the cultures and the Elders past and present.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this website may contain images, voices and names of deceased persons.

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The goanna spirit on Anderson Sugarloaf Mountain - This Place

Culture and Capability
Elderly Aboriginal man in blue polo shirt with Aboriginal designs on the sleeves and wearing a cap stands with a young girls in a blue shirt. In the background is grass and trees.

Learn about the goanna spirit which still lives on in Barralbarayi where the men would take the boys for education.

For thousands of years, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have been naming places that were sacred or important to them.

This video is part of an ABC produced series named This Place. It tells the story behind one of these special places:

The Dhanggati name for Anderson Sugarloaf Mountain is Barralbarayi.  It was a place where the men would take the boys for initiation. The goanna spirit still lives on Anderson Sugarloaf Mountain.  Dhanggati elder Bob Smith shares the story with his granddaughter Shaylan.

Find out more

For more information, visit This Place.