Australian
Screen

an NFSA website

Message Stick – Babinda Boulders (2005)

play May contain names, images or voices of deceased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
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Devils pool

This clip chosen to be G

Clip description

Annie Wonga, an elder of the Yidinji people, tells the history of her family and the Devils Pool of Babinda. Annie did not visit the waterhole until 1985 because it is a sacred space. Daryl Murgha tells of how, as children, they would swim in the Devils Pool and play games like follow-the-leader. Daryl says that today, and also as boys, they believe they were protected from drowning in the Devils Pool.

Curator’s notes

The Devils Pool is a place that serves as more than a waterhole. It is a place where multiple cultural beliefs clash, and different stories may account for truth. While the local folk have never been in danger at the Devils Pool, male strangers visiting the area fall victim to its waters.