Nargun

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According to Gunai/Kurnai tribal legends, the Nargun is a fierce half-human half-stone female creature that lived in a cave under a rock overhang behind a small waterfall in the Mitchell River National Park.

[edit] Den of Nargun

The cave where the Nargun lived, called the Den of Nargun, is found on Woolshed Creek, a small tributary of the Mitchell River about one kilometre upstream from where the creek joins the river. Stories were told around campfires about how the Nargun would abduct children who visited the rockpool. It was said the Nargun could not be harmed with boomerangs or spears, as they would be reflected back to the thrower.

These stories served the dual purpose of a cautionary tale to keep children close to the campsite, and away from the sacred cave. The Den of Nargun was considered a special place for women of the Gunai tribe, and in reality was used for women's initiation and learning ceremonies rather than being the lair of any predator. The den was once rimmed with stalactites, but unfortunately these have been broken off as souvenirs by visitors over the years.

A similar, though less well known site, called Deadcock Den is situated on Woolshed Creek downstream from the Den of Nargun, only about 200m from where it joins the Mitchell River. This site was also of great cultural significance to the Gunai people, in particular the women.

[edit] Modern Fiction

In 1974 Australian author Patricia Wrightson wrote an award winning children's novel called The Nargun and The Stars, which was later made into a television series. The plot involved a modern day boy coming to live in a remote Australian valley where he discovers a variety of ancient Dreamtime creatures. In this story, the Nargun is an indestructible stone being that slowly moves through the valley destroying all in its path. A later Patricia Wrightson story suggested there were multiple Narguns.