Karrawadlungga

Abstract

In 1839 William Williams (Colonial Storekeeper in Adelaide) recorded “Cur-ra-ud-lon-ga” as the name of “Lyndoch valley” (presumably a site somewhere within it, between the town of Lyndoch and the end of the valley near Williamstown). He almost certainly obtained it while interpreting for a police expedition in April 1839 which was tracking members of the ‘Wirra tribe’ who had murdered shepherd Duffield at Teatree Gully. It is a Kaurna word, using the standard Locative ngga; but its meaning is uncertain, especially because the interpretation of Williams’ written letter ‘o’ is ambiguous. It might very likely be Karrawadlungga, ‘place of underbrush and shrubs’, i.e. low understorey in a forest. But it could also be Karra-wadlangga, ‘place of fallen redgum trees’ or ‘place of high deadwood’; or Karrawadlhangga, ‘place of redgums and wallabies’. However, it was probably not a genuine place-name of the occupants of that territory, the ‘Wirra tribe’, who were not necessarily Kaurna speakers. It was probably a Kaurna generic name for that kind of country, given by trackers including Kadlitpinna (‘Captain Jack’), who belonged to country further south.