66-709: The Wagyl (also written Waugal , Waagal , and variants) is the Noongar manifestation of the Rainbow Serpent in Australian Aboriginal mythology , from the culture based around the south-west of Western Australia . The Noongar describe the Wagyl as a snakelike Dreaming creature responsible for the creation of the Swan and Canning rivers and other waterways and landforms around present day Perth and
132-602: A contraceptive effect. As early as 10,000 BP local people utilised quartz , replacing chert flint for spear and knife edges when the chert deposits were submerged by sea level rise during the Flandrian transgression . Before the arrival of Europeans , the Noongar population has been variously estimated at between 6,000 and some tens of thousands. Colonisation by the British brought both violence and new diseases, taking
198-404: A heavy toll on the population. The Noongar, like many other Aboriginal peoples, saw the arrival of Europeans as the returning of deceased people, often imagining them as relatives who deserved accommodation. As they approached from the west, the newcomers were called djaanga (or djanak ), meaning "white spirits". Initially, relations were generally cordial. Matthew Flinders recognised
264-467: A judgment which recognised native title in an area over the city of Perth and its surrounds, known as Bennell v State of Western Australia [2006] FCA 1243. An appeal was subsequently lodged and was heard in April 2007. The remainder of the larger "Single Noongar Claim" area, covering 193,956 km (74,887 sq mi) of the south-west of Western Australia, remains outstanding, and will hinge on
330-519: A lime deposit there. A railway to Waroona was built and the local Progress Association sought the declaration of a townsite for the company's employees. The town was initially gazetted as Leschenault in 1921, but this name was seen as too confusing because of the name's connection with Bunbury. It was then renamed Garbanup, but the Government railways complained as this was too similar to Dardanup, so in 1923 it changed again to Lake Clifton. For
396-522: A living by hunting and trapping a variety of game, including kangaroos, possums and wallabies; for people close to the coastal zone or riverine systems, spear-fishing or culling fish in traps was customary. An extensive range of edible wild plants were also available, including yams and wattle seeds. Nuts of the zamia palm , eaten during the Djeran season (April–May) required extensive treatment to remove their toxicity , and for women, they may have had
462-699: A mural in Guildford depicting the Wagyl was unveiled by WA Minister for Water Dave Kelly as part of the Splash of Colour program launched in 2017. On 20 July 2023, a mural depicting the Wagyl was unveiled at a water pump station in Gosnells by the Minister for Water Simone McGurk . The project was led by Nerolie Bynder in partnership with the Water Corporation , and local schools and artists. The mural
528-468: A very short period it was a busy company town, but the mine closed at the end of 1923 and the railway was removed and transported to Lake Grace for use in a railway to Newdegate . The government acquisition of the railway resulted in a commission of inquiry. The Waroona-Lake Clifton Railway Act 1924 , an act by the Parliament of Western Australia assented to on 31 December 1924, authorised
594-530: Is a central figure and responsible for giving life or sustenance for life to the people who are the custodians of its land. The Wagyl is responsible for shaping and creating the Swan River , creating the sharp bends at Belmont and Maylands , as well as the Canning River . When it reached the area around Fremantle , it fought with a crocodile and used its tail to separate the salt and fresh water of
660-433: Is also part of the Splash of Colour program launched in 2017. The murals were praised by Chris Tallentire . Noongar The Noongar ( / ˈ n ʊ ŋ ɑːr / , also spelt Noongah , Nyungar / ˈ n j ʊ ŋ ɑːr / , Nyoongar , Nyoongah , Nyungah , Nyugah , and Yunga / ˈ j ʊ ŋ ɑː / ) are Aboriginal Australian people who live in the south-west corner of Western Australia , from Geraldton on
726-420: Is also severe, and has resulted in a high proportion of plants and animals being included in the categories of rare, threatened and endangered species. In modern times many Aboriginal men were employed intermittently as rabbiters, and rabbit became an important part of Noongar diet in the early 20th century. The Noongar territory also happens to conform closely with the south-west Indian Ocean Drainage Region, and
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#1732765660688792-470: Is now classified as the Noongar language is a member of the large Pama–Nyungan language family. Contemporary Noongar speak Australian Aboriginal English (a dialect of the English language) laced with Noongar words and occasionally inflected by its grammar. Most contemporary Noongar trace their ancestry to one or more of these groups. In the 2011 Australian census, 10,549 people identified as indigenous in
858-641: Is now considered a Noongar hero, by many to have been one of the first indigenous resistance fighters. Matters escalated with conflicts between the settlement of Thomas Peel and the Pindjarup people, resulting in the Pinjarra massacre . Similarly, struggles with Ballardong people in the Avon Valley continued until violently suppressed by Lieutenant Henry William St Pierre Bunbury . Notwithstanding this violence, extraordinary acts of goodwill existed. In
924-511: Is seen in some stories as a resting point of the Wagyl. The Wagyl is often characterised as being green and smokish grey in colour, while also blending into the ocean. It is also characterised as being either female or male. Like the Rainbow serpent, it is depicted as a snake or serpent. The Wagyl is depicted in the 1982 play Kullark by Jack Davis. The design of Matagarup Bridge in Perth over
990-616: The Wiilman Noongar dialect, the Wagyl is called the Ngunnunguddy Gnuditj (meaning 'hairy-faced snake'). In Noongar mythology, stories about the Wagyl vary among the 14 different Noongar groups. Some groups state that the Wagyl is the ruler of the Earth and sky , and that it inhabits water sources. In contrast, others say it is simply the creator and maintainer of fresh water sources. However, in all Noongar groups it
1056-599: The 2011 award for That Deadman Dance . Yirra Yaakin describes itself as the response to the Aboriginal community's need for positive self-enhancement through artistic expression. It is a theatre company that strives for community development and which also has the drive to create "exciting, authentic and culturally appropriate indigenous theatre". Many local governments in the southwest have developed "compacts" or "commitments" with their local Noongar communities to ensure that sites of significance are protected and that
1122-640: The Leschenault Estuary. It then came back to Collie via the Collie river to Minninup pool. He then gave to the Wiilman people law and language before the Wiilmans danced and sang for the Wagyl as a farewell. The Wagyl then went back to Minninup pool which is its resting place to the Wiilman people. They also believe that if its resting place is harmed, all the water in the world would dry up. One of
1188-492: The Noongar are largely urbanised or concentrated in major regional towns, studies have shown that the direct economic impact of the Noongar community on the WA economy was estimated to range between five and seven hundred million dollars per year. Exit polls of tourists leaving Western Australia have consistently shown that "lack of contact with indigenous culture" has been their greatest regret. It has been estimated that this results in
1254-573: The Noongar but in many cases they are unable to receive appropriate government-agency care. The report that was produced after this gathering also stated that Noongar men have a life expectancy of 20 years less than non-Aboriginal men, and go to hospital three times more often. The Noongar still have large extended families and many families have difficulty accessing available structures of sheltered housing in Western Australia. The Western Australian government has dedicated several areas for
1320-689: The Noongar community constituted a united society which had continued to exist despite the disruption resulting from mixed marriage and people being forced off their land and dispersed to other areas as a result of white settlement and later Government policies. In April 2008 the Full Bench of the Federal Court upheld parts of the appeal by the Western Australian and Commonwealth governments against Justice Wilcox's judgment. Other native title claims on Noongar lands include: Since
1386-543: The Noongar language in the general curriculum have been made. In recent years there has been considerable interest in Noongar visual arts. In 2006, Noongar culture was showcased as part of the Perth International Arts Festival . A highlight of the Festival was the unveiling of the monumental "Ngallak Koort Boodja – Our Heart Land Canvas". The 8-metre (26 ft) canvas was commissioned for
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#17327656606881452-496: The Rottnest Island Deaths Group. The changes also removed rights of notification and appeal for traditional owners seeking to protect their heritage. A legal ruling on 1 April 2015 overturned the government's actions on some of the sites deregistered which were found to be truly sacred. Elders are increasingly asked on formal occasions to provide a " Welcome to Country ", and the first steps of teaching
1518-681: The Swan river is sometimes interpreted as representing the Wagyl. The French one-man band Waagal takes its name from the serpent. Erwann Texier-Harth, the individual behind Waagal, incorporates the Aboriginal didgeridoo into many of his pieces. The Waugal Aboriginal Corporation is an Aboriginal art organization based in Pinjara . It received $ 6,400 of funding to hold an exhibition at the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre as part of NAIDOC Week in 2006. On 13 November 2020,
1584-632: The Wagyl as the creator of the rivers, lakes and swamps around York , where it travelled along the Avon River to Guildford , going also through Tooday valley . In the Dreamtime story of Wave Rock, the Ballardong people believe that the Wagyl shaped the rock's formation. Another rock believed by the Ballardong to have been shaped by the Wagyl is Boyagin Rock , where it is seen as the winter home or
1650-648: The Western Australian Land Company, settled at Australind , and was later a member of the Legislative Council . Explorers Dr Alexander Collie and Lieutenant William Preston RN first came across what are now Lakes Preston and Clifton while exploring the coastline between Mandurah and Bunbury in 1829. After the introduction of convicts to the Swan River Colony in the 1850s, the "Old Coast Road" south of Mandurah
1716-758: The Western Australian Youth Orchestra. The Noongar people occupied and maintained the Mediterranean climate lands of the south-west ecoregion of Western Australia, and made sustainable use of seven biogeographic regions of their territory, namely: These seven regions have been acknowledged as a biodiversity hot-spot, having a generally greater number of endemic species than most other regions in Australia. The ecological damage done to this region through clearing, introduced species, by feral animals and non-endemic plants
1782-515: The area. The area is also central to waterbird migration patterns. At the edge of Lake Clifton, rock-like structures called thrombolites (similar to stromatolites ) can be seen, built by tiny micro-organisms believed to resemble the earliest forms of life on Earth. Scientists have suggested their presence here may be due to upwellings of fresh groundwater high in calcium carbonate. An observation walkway has been constructed to allow visitors to view these fragile structures. An action has been started by
1848-457: The bush, or digging vegetables on what had been their own land. It quickly became a "place of torment, deprivation and death", and it has been estimated that there may be as many as 369 Aboriginal graves on the island, of which five were for prisoners who had been hanged. Except for a short period between 1849 and 1855, during which the prison was closed, some 3,700 Aboriginal men and boys, many of them Noongars, but also many others from all parts of
1914-671: The city at night. Lake Clifton, Western Australia Lake Clifton is a small town located on the east side of the lake of the same name in the Peel region of Western Australia just off the Old Coast Road , between Mandurah and Bunbury at the north end of the Yalgorup National Park . At the 2021 census , Lake Clifton had a population of 759. Lake Clifton is named for Marshall Waller Clifton , who arrived in Western Australia as Chief Commissioner of
1980-427: The closure and removal of the railway line. Lake Clifton contains basic accommodation and shopping, and a community hall offering a range of activities. A couple of roadhouses for passing trucks and motorists are located on Old Coast Road, while rural residential estates have sprung up at Tuart Grove. The Yalgorup National Park was established in the 1970s to protect the coastal lakes, swamps and tuart woodland in
2046-409: The complete range of everyday speaking situations, and the full resources of the language are available only to a few individuals. The Noongar peoples have six seasons whose time frame is defined by specific observable changes to the environment, with a dry period varying from as few as three to as many as eleven months. Tribes are spread over three different geological systems: the coastal plains,
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2112-588: The culture is respected. At the same time, the Western Australian Barnett government, also from November 2014, had been forcing the Aboriginal Cultural Material Committee to deregister 300 Aboriginal sacred sites in Western Australia. Although falling most heavily upon Pilbara and Kimberley sites this government policy also was having an impact on Noongar lands according to Ira Hayward-Jackson, Chairman of
2178-587: The earliest description of the Wagyl by European settlers was by Francis Armstrong of the Perth Gazette in 1836, where he described stones believed by the Noongars to be eggs of the Wagyl. When the Government of Western Australia wanted to redevelop land around the Old Swan Brewery in the 1980s, conflicting attitudes around the Wagyl arose. The area is known as Goonininup in Noongar, and
2244-498: The festival by representatives of the united elders and families from across the Noongar nation. It was painted by leading Noongar artists Shane Pickett , Tjyllyungoo , Yvonne Kickett, Alice Warrell and Sharyn Egan . October 2021 saw the opening of the first Noongar opera Koolbardi wer Wardong . Written by Gina Williams and Guy Ghouse, the opera was performed at His Majesty's Theatre by members of West Australian Opera , West Australian Young Voices, Noongar Children's Choir and
2310-484: The flat land around the Leschenault Estuary at Australind . Meanwhile, the young eventually starved and eventually dissolved into water and resupplied underground water reservoirs. This then ended the drought. Due to its deep association with the water, it is said that when the water is murky and dark the Wagyl was swimming and that one shouldn't swim in that water. The Ballardong people also believes
2376-646: The forests and woodlands of the region. During a serious drought, Noongar elders ventured to the coast of the Indian Ocean to pray to the Wagyl to end the drought. The Wagyl then came out of the ocean and created the Peel inlet where she gave birth to her young. After they matured, they went east from the inlet and formed the Serpentine , Murray and Harvey rivers . However the Wagyl went out to look for her young and created Lake Clifton and Lake Preston. Thinking they went south, it ventured south and created
2442-665: The home of up to one-third of the population. It is estimated that 10 to 25% of Noongar children were forcibly "adopted" during these years, in part of what has become known as the Stolen Generations . Noongar people live in many country towns throughout the south-west as well as in the major population centres of Perth , Mandurah , Bunbury , Geraldton , Albany and Esperance . Many country Noongar people have developed long-standing relationships with non-Noongar farmers and continue to hunt kangaroo and gather bush tucker (food) as well as teach their children stories about
2508-574: The island, the Colonial Secretary announced in June 1839 that the island would become a penal establishment for Aboriginal people and was officially designated as such in 1841. From that time until 1903, when the indigenous section was closed, Rottnest Island was used as a prison to transfer Aboriginal prisoners "overseas". To "pacify" the Aboriginal population, men were rounded up and chained for offences ranging from spearing livestock, burning
2574-561: The kodj. In Perth, the Noongar believe that the Darling Scarp is said to represent the body of a Wagyl , a snakelike Dreamtime creature that is a common deity in Noongar culture, that meandered over the land creating rivers, waterways, and lakes. It is thought that the Wagyl created the Swan River . The Wagyl has been associated with Wonambi naracoutensis , part of the extinct megafauna of Australia that disappeared between 15 and 50,000 years ago. Also in Perth, Mount Eliza
2640-510: The land creating the curves and contours of the hills and gullies. The being is strongly associated with rivers, lakes like Lake Monger , and is supposed still to reside deep beneath springs. As the Wagyl slithered over the land, his track shaped the sand dunes, his body scoured out the course of the rivers; where he occasionally stopped for a rest, he created bays and lakes. Piles of rocks are said to be his droppings, and such sites are considered sacred. As he moved, his scales scraped off and became
2706-520: The land. In a few areas in the south-west, visitors can go on bush tucker walks, trying foods such as kangaroo , emu , quandong jam or relish, bush tomatoes , witchetty grub pâté and bush honey. The buka is a traditional cloak of the Noongar people made of kangaroo skin. The kodj ( "to be hit on the head" ) or kodja is a Noongar hafted axe . Kojonup, Western Australia and The Kodja Place visitor centre, in Kojonup, are named after
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2772-623: The last resting place of the Wagyl. In the Mooro clan 's Karda myth, the Wagyl prevents Crocodile from entering the Swan River after his tail was torn off by Shark, which eventually formed Rottnest and Garden Island . Following this, Crocodile was told by the Wagyl to go back to Two Rocks and talk with Yonga (kangeroo) and Bibyur (scrub turkey). In the Charnok Woman myth, the Charnok Woman collects spirit children following
2838-411: The location of the former Swan Brewery which has been a source of contention between local Noongar groups (who would like to see the land, which was reclaimed from the river in the late 19th century, "restored" to them) and the title-holders who wished to develop the site. A Noongar protest camp existed here for several years in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Noongar culture is particularly strong with
2904-540: The loss of many millions of dollars worth of foregone tourist revenue. As a consequence of the Stolen Generations and problems integrating with modern westernised society, many difficult issues face the present day Noongar. For example, the Noongar Men of the SouthWest gathering in 1996 identified major community problems associated with cultural dispossession such as: Many of these issues are not unique to
2970-675: The ocean and river from each other. The Wagyl is also said to have rested at the base of Mount Eliza in Perth, which is seen as a sacred site. The Wagyl also has significant connection to the Busselton wetlands . The Wagyl created many local landscape features between the Porongarups and off the coast of Fremantle . Indeed, Porongarup means 'spirit gathering place', from the Noongar Borong , 'Spirit', Gar , 'Gathering' and Up , 'Place'. The Wagyl
3036-602: The outcome of this appeal process. In the interim, the Noongar people together will continue to be involved in native title negotiations with the Government of Western Australia , and are represented by the South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council . Justice Wilcox's judgment is noteworthy for several reasons. It highlights Perth's wealth of post-European settlement writings which provide an insight into Aboriginal life, including laws and customs, around
3102-542: The path created by the Wagyl across a valley created by the Wagyl and is known as the Swan River. The path led her north to where the Wagyl was creating lakes. In the Mooro myth of two lost boys, two boys were brought to Mindarrie by two tribal elders to learn the law. After the elders went out to hunt, the boys ventured off to discover what had caused a loud noise, only to find the Indian Ocean. Thirsty, they drank from
3168-409: The plateau, and the plateau margins; all areas are characterized by relatively infertile soil. The north is characterized by casuarina, acacia, and melaleuca thickets, and the south by mulga scrubland, but it also supports dense forest stands. Several rivers run to the coast, and lakes and wetlands provided the Noongar people with their distinctive food and vegetation resources. Generally, Noongar made
3234-639: The purpose of building communities specifically for the Noongar people, such as the (now closed) Swan Valley Noongar Community . The Noongar themselves are tackling their own issues; for example, the Noongar Patrol, which is an Aboriginal Advancement Council initiative. It was set up to deter Aboriginal young people from offending behaviour and reduce the likelihood of their contact with the criminal justice system. The patrol uses mediation and negotiation with indigenous youth in an attempt to curb anti-social and offending behaviour of young people who come into
3300-522: The same year, 1834, the Swan River Noongar couple, Migo and Molly Dobbin, alerted to the fact a European child had gone missing, covered 35 kilometres (22 mi) in 10 hours tracking his spoors , and saved him, at the point of death. From August 1838, ten Aboriginal prisoners were sent to Rottnest Island ( Nyungar : Wadjemup , possibly meaning "place across the water" ). After a short period when both settlers and prisoners occupied
3366-484: The south-west of Western Australia. The Wagyl stories may represent the survival in oral tradition of extinct Australian megafauna , as there was a python -like snake, Wonambi naracoortensis , with a length of five to six metres (16 to 20 ft). Due to the Noongar language having several dialects, the Wagyl is referred to by different groups by different names. Varieties include Waugal, Waagal, Wargyl, Waakal, Waakle, Woggal, Wogal, Waagle, Warrgul and Warkal. In
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#17327656606883432-431: The south-west of Western Australia. By 2021, this number had increased to 14,355. The endonym of the Noongar comes from a word originally meaning "man" or "person". At the time of European settlement, it is believed that the peoples of what became the Noongar community spoke thirteen dialects, of which five still have speakers with some knowledge of their respective versions of the language. No speakers use it over
3498-679: The state, were imprisoned. A notable incident for the Noongar people in the Western Australian Colony was the arrival of Rosendo Salvado in 1846. Salvado was an advocate for the humane treatment of the Australian Aboriginals at the mission he created at New Norcia , in the territory of the Yued . He provided refuge for the Njunga and he defended many on charges of theft, arguing from church doctrine that theft
3564-475: The success of his three-week sojourn as due in good part to Noongar diplomacy, and Noongar rituals celebrated their reception of the newcomers in a ceremonial form. When settlement became more firmly established, however, misunderstandings over the obligations of reciprocity—some of the most productive land was being taken, especially on the Upper Swan—led to sporadic clashes. An example of such misunderstandings
3630-434: The time of settlement in 1829 and also into the beginning of the last century. These documents enabled Justice Wilcox to find that laws and customs governing land throughout the whole Single Noongar Claim (taking in Perth, and many other towns in the greater South West) were those of a single community. The claimants shared a language and had extensive interaction with others in the claim area. Importantly, Justice Wilcox found
3696-456: The tiny settlement at Mandurah for almost half a decade. In June 1832, a Whadjuk leader, Yagan , formerly of good standing among the settler authorities and known in the colony for his handsome bearing, "tall, slender, well-fashioned..of pleasing countenance", was, together with his father Midgegooroo and brother Monday, declared an outlaw after undertaking a series of food raids and a retaliatory murder. Caught and imprisoned, he escaped and
3762-462: The use of these water resources played a very important seasonal part in their culture. The Noongar thus have a close connection with the earth and, as a consequence, they divided the year into six distinct seasons that corresponded with moving to different habitats and feeding patterns based on seasonal foods. They are: On 19 September 2006 the Federal Court of Australia brought down
3828-473: The water to find it was salty. Figuring the water further out was sweeter, they ventured out into the water to only be swallowed up by the Wagyl. The Wagyl then ventured back to the coast where it spat the boys out as two tuart trees . For the Wiilman people , the Wagyl travelled from the north to Collie , where it created hills and rivers along the way. It then went to Bunbury and Australind where it formed
3894-498: The west coast to Esperance on the south coast. There are 14 different groups in the Noongar cultural bloc: Amangu , Ballardong , Yued , Kaneang , Koreng , Mineng , Njakinjaki , Njunga , Pibelmen , Pindjarup , Wadandi , Whadjuk , Wiilman and Wudjari . The Noongar people refer to their land as Noongar boodja . The members of the collective Noongar cultural bloc descend from people who spoke several languages and dialects that were often mutually intelligible . What
3960-619: The written word. The plays of Jack Davis are on the school syllabus in several Australian states. Davis' first full-length play Kullark , a documentary on the history of Aboriginals in WA, was first produced in 1979. Other plays include: No Sugar, The Dreamers, Barungin: Smell the Wind, In Our Town and for younger audiences, Honey Spot and Moorli and the Leprechaun . Kim Scott won the 2000 Miles Franklin Award for his novel Benang and
4026-399: Was an important site for the Noongar. It was a hunting site where kangaroos were herded and driven over the edge to provide meat for gathering clans. In this context, the "clan" is a local descent group – larger than a family but based on family links through common ancestry. At the base of Mount Eliza is a sacred site where the Wagyl is said to have rested during its journeys. This site is also
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#17327656606884092-404: Was delegated to protect the rivers, lakes, springs and the wildlife, and Wagyl sacred sites tend to be natural sun-traps , located beside bodies of water. The Noongar people were appointed by the Wagyl as the guardians of the land, and the Wagyl was seen by certain tribal elders who spoke to the dreamtime being. The Darling Scarp is said to represent the body of the Wagyl, which meandered over
4158-421: Was let alone, as though informally reprieved as a native version of William Wallace . His father was caught and killed without trial by a military firing squad. Yagan himself, with a bounty on his head, was ambushed soon afterwards by an 18-year-old settler youth, after he had stopped two settlers and asked for flour. His corpse was decapitated, and the head was sent to England for display in fairgrounds. Yagan
4224-551: Was not criminal if dictated by dire necessity. While intent on converting, he encouraged the Noongars to maintain their traditional culture. From 1890 to 1958, the lives and lifestyles of Noongar people were subject to the Native Welfare Act. By 1915, 15% of Perth's Noongar had been thrust north and interned at the Moore River Native Settlement . Carrolup (later known as Marribank ) became
4290-425: Was rebuilt. For most of its length, the road went through well-timbered, sandy limestone country of little value to agriculture. The area's first European settler was John Fouracre, who built a house in this area in 1852 and had established a wayside inn and changing station at Wellington Location 205 in 1854. The townsite of Lake Clifton was developed in 1920 as a result of the W A Portland Cement Co. seeking to mine
4356-504: Was the Noongar land-management practice of setting fires in early summer, mistakenly seen as an act of hostility by the settlers. Conversely, the Noongar saw the settlers' livestock as fair game to replace the dwindling stocks of native animals shot indiscriminately by settlers. The only area that successfully resisted the usurpation of native land for any time was the area around the Murray River , which effectively blocked expansion of
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