Mudgimba Women

Mudgimba Women
Heather Blakey – January 8th 2008

A flotilla of little boats are lined up to take travellers to Mudjimba Island which lies across the bay. Some locals call Mudjimba ‘Old Woman Island.’ Travellers will know their boat and find the right captain for this part of the trip.

Rainbow Beach is at the mouth of the mighty Kerith and everyone will be sailing upstream, following the barge that takes supplies to remote parts. Mudjimba is not exactly remote but it is inaccessible in bad weather and now is a window of opportunity to take supplies to the women who live here. The women of Mudjimba are a hardy, experienced lot.

Paddlers have been known to paddle over to Mudjimba to surf but it is not really recommended. There is a very deep hole filled with an abundance of marine life. There are extensive fields of hard and soft coral with plenty of gullies, ledges, bommies and small drop offs can be experienced. An amazing variety of nudibranch species and invertebrate – great for the macro photographer. On every dive snorklers and divers will see butterflyfish, lionfish, moray eels, wrasse, angelfish, morwong, surgeonfish, damsels, pufferfish and gobies.

There is a bit of catch however. Legend says that the Tanagran Triton made its home here and he tests all visitors, acts as a guardian for Mudjimba. Before a traveller can land on Mudjimba and find the guide for the next leg of the journey they have to purify themselves in the waters of this deep pool. They must snorkel or dive down find the Triton and appease it in some way. The appeased Triton will give each traveller an identifying piece of coral that will be taken at the port at Mudjimba island. It must be given to the Keeper of Mudjimba.

It might help you if everyone knows this bit of folklore as well.

Kerith became a River Maiden
Heather Blakey – January 8th 2008

“…long ago in the Dreamtime, a beautiful dark maiden named Kerith was loved by Coolum, a handsome young warrior. Another warrior, Ninderry, wanted Kerith for himself and tried to steal her away. Coolum challenged Ninderry to a duel and they fought.

The two warriors attacked each other with such ferocity that the earth trembled and the ocean roared, the birds took flight and the koalas and kangaroos hid in fear, until at last, Ninderry, with a mighty blow of his club, killed the warrior Coolum.

The Creator, known to the Undanbi tribe as Birral, was so moved by their love and courage, that he turned their fallen bodies into a mighty stone mountains, as a monument to their bravery.

The grief-stricken Kerith fled high into the hills and wept so copiously that her tears formed the Kerith River.

Those tears will flow forever, while the majestic monoliths of Mt Coolum & Mt Ninderry stand against the sun, gazing down on the river and out to sea, remembering the beautiful maiden they loved.”

Note:
The word Kerith is the only word that has been changed in this Australian, indigenous myth set in the region known as Maroochy.