The Boonwurrung people witness the sea rising dramatically creating a bay they call Nairm, which will become known as Melbourne’s Port Phillip Bay.
Before this the biik (land), which will become known as greater Melbourne, extended right out to the warreeny (sea).
Birrarung (The Yarra River) flowed out across the biik (land) to the warreeny (sea).
The large plain that they have long been entrusted to protect was covered in buath (grass) and tarrang biik (woodlands), and on it the Boonwurrung men hunted guyeem (kangaroo) and barramaeel (emu).
The bagurrk (women) cultivated the murnong (yam daisy).
They collected food from the wurnee (river) and the warreeny (sea) and harvested the iilk (eels) that migrated through there every year.
The Boonwurrung are the custodians of their biik but trade with and welcome people from other parts of the Kulin Nation.
They obey the laws of Bundjil, who travels as an eagle, and Waang who travels as a crow.
One of the most important laws that Bundjil required to be obeyed was for Boonwurrung people to always welcome visitors, and to require that all visitors make a promise to obey the laws of Bundjil, not hurt the biik (land) of Bundjil and not harm the bubup (children) of Bundjil.
One day, there came a time of crisis.
The Boonwurrung and the other Kulin nations were in conflict.
They argued and fought.
They neglected their biik (land).
The native murnong (yam daisy) was neglected.
The animals were over-killed and not always eaten.
The gurnbak (fish) were caught during their spawning season.
The iilk (eels) were not harvested.
As this chaos grew the warreeny (sea) became angry and began to rise.
The wurneet (river) became flooded and eventually the whole flat plain was covered in baany (water).
It threatened to flood their whole birrang-ga (country).
The people became frightened and went to Bundjil, their creator and spiritual leader.
They asked Bundjil to stop the warreeny (sea) from rising.
Bundjil was angry with his people, and he told them that they would have to change their ways if they wanted to save their land.
The people thought about what they had been doing and made a promise to follow Bundjil.
Bundjil walked out to the warreeny (sea), raised his tjeera (spear) and directed the warreeny to stop rising.
Bundjil then made the Boonwurrung promise that they would respect the laws.
The baany (water) never subsided but stayed to create a large bay that the Boonwurrung called Nairm (Port Phillip Bay).
The warreeny (sea) took away much of the biik (land) of the Boonwurrung and much of their barerarerungar (country) was reduced to a narrow strip of coastline.
The Boonwurrung learn from their mistakes.
They return to their old values and the laws of Bundjil.
They take greater care of the biik (land) of Bundjil and the bubup (children) of Bundjil.
They meet with the other Kulin people and sort out their differences through sports, debates and dance.
One of their significant meeting sites will become the location for Victoria’s Government House.
The Boonwurrung people pass on their history, from one generation to the next through story and drawings, including knowledge of earthquakes and ferocious wiiny (fire).