A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

Overview

Oongnairwah the diver and Guinarey the eagle hawk organise a communal fishing expedition, holding a net while pelicans, swans, cranes and others splash fish toward it. From the bank, Deereeree the wagtail and Burreenjin the peewee warn that they can see an alligator’s back. The net holders tell them to move away because the wind will carry their scent toward the creature, but the watchers remain.

The creature then lashes its tail so violently that the water drowns every participant, including the two birds on the bank. Blood colours the bank and their stump, and the account says that the place called Goomade remains red. The story gives the attacker no proper name, speech or transformation; its extreme disturbance of the creek explains a named landscape feature within the narrative. Parker’s printed word alligator is retained as her terminology rather than used to identify a zoological species or establish its historical presence in the Narran region.

Visible back in creekViolent tail-lashingEntire fishing party drownedRed landscape conclusion
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Origins & earliest records

K. Langloh Parker, Australian Legendary Tales (1896), Oongnairwah and Guinarey. Collection preface identifies the Narran-region Noongahburrah and acknowledges several contributors without attributing this tale individually.

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Records & interpretation

The complete published English narrative supplies the stated events and ending. The collection is mediated by Parker’s recording and editorial framework; present-day community interpretation is not inferred from its colonial-era introduction.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

  1. 01

    Australian Legendary Tales: Oongnairwah and Guinarey

    K. Langloh Parker · 1896

    Complete selected narrative; hosted digital text does not guarantee fidelity to one specified paper edition. Individual speaker not named for this story.

Family & connections

A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

  1. Primary historical collected narrativeParker: Oongnairwah and GuinareyResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

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