The Ocean Grove spit has a Wadawurrung language name – Bukareeyoo.
Bukareeyoo (‘Book-ar-ree-you’) is a Wadawurrung word which means ‘between’. Bukareeyoo sits between two waters – the ocean and the river.
Wadawurrung People would traditionally visit this area in the warm summer weather to camp and fish.
Bukareeyoo is culturally significant to the Wadawurrung, with evidence of people gathering, connecting and feasting there for thousands of generations, these are known as midden sites.
These cultural heritage values are captured and described in a Cultural Heritage Management Plan.
Wadawurrung people continue to come to Bukareeyoo, a place where you can see beautiful sunrises on Warri (salt water), a place of fishing, caring and connecting.
“Wadawurrung people have our own language that is strongly connected to our Dja (Country) land and people,” Wadawurrung woman and Healthy Country Project officer – Warri and coastal Dja at Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation Sarah Eccles said.
“Our old people spoke Wadawurrung fluently, but this was disrupted and stopped for many years. We are reviving our language.
“Bringing language names back to Dja (Country) is something that we as a Wadawurrung community want to see and we have expressed this as a goal in our Paleert Tjaara Dja – let’s make country good together Wadawurrung Country Plan.
“Having a Wadawurrung language name will help those who enjoy this cultural landscape understand whose traditional country it is, the cultural values it holds and ongoing connections it has to Wadawurrung people.
“The partnership with Barwon Coast in working with us to bring Wadawurrung language back to Dja (Country) is deeply valued and in the spirit of Koling wada-ngal (let us walk together).”
Bukareeyoo is a popular place for walking, swimming, fishing and picnics and is also used over summer and Easter periods as a campground named ‘Riverside’. The campground will be named Bukareeyoo Campground and will come into effect for the Summer 2024 camping season.
To better understand community thoughts and ideas in relation to the name Bukareeyoo, Barwon Coast have an online survey at surveymonkey.com/r/Bukareeyoo.
