Explorers Bass and Flinders named five Illawarra islands after themselves
By Sarah Moss, ABC Illawarra
They might be among the best-kept secrets in the Illawarra, but the five islands off Port Kembla on the New South Wales South Coast are rich in both history and marine life.
They can even inspire some spirited debate about what they should be called.
For thousands of years, the islands held significant importance for the Wadi Wadi people, who shared stories about their creation through the Dreaming.
George Bass, Matthew Flinders and William Martin battling the storm in the "Tom Thumb" off Providential Cove. (Supplied: From the collections of WCL and Illawarra Historical Society. P06573)
But in the early 1800s, famed explorers George Bass and Matthew Flinders, aboard the Tom Thumb II, charted and named the islands after themselves and their servant boy William Martin.
Excerpt from the Illawarra Aboriginal History Poster, Early Contact Map. (Supplied: Coomaditchie United Aboriginal Corporation)
Cobbyr became Flinders Islet, also known as Toothbrush Island.
Munnungang became Bass Islet and Booirodoong, the largest, was renamed Big Island, also called Rabbit or Perkins Island.
The smaller islets on either side of Booirodoong are called Martin Islet and Rocky Islet.
The story of five islands
Aunties Narelle Thomas and Lorraine Brown are visual artists and elders at Coomaditchie United Aboriginal Corporation. (ABC Illawarra: Sarah Moss)
Sisters Narelle Thomas and Lorraine Brown are among those determined to keep the story of the islands alive.
Both accomplished artists, they created a 21-metre mural to tell the Dreaming creation story of the islands at Hill 60 in Port Kembla.
The Story of Five Islands, a Dreaming Story book produced by Coomaditchie United Aboriginal Corporation, also tells the tale, including illustrations of the six sisters, Geera, Mimosa, Wilga, Lilli Pilli, Wattle and Clematis, produced by local children.
"Our tribal people would have probably told this story many times … we do want people to know that there is Dreaming stories in the Wollongong area and we're very proud of this," Ms Brown said.
Dreaming stories, known as Alcheringa by the Aboriginal people of the Illawarra, explain the creation of land, culture, and laws. (Supplied: Coomaditchie United Aboriginal Corporation)
"Mount Keira is a woman's area and six sisters lived up there, the six daughters of Oola-boola-woo, the west wind."
Ms Brown said the creation story detailed what happened to cheeky children who did not do their chores.
"There was one that was very naughty and very cheeky, and he really had enough of her, so he picked her up on a piece of the mountain and threw her out to sea," Ms Brown said.
A 21-metre mural depicts the Dreaming story of Oola-boola-woo and his six daughters at Hill 60 in Port Kembla. (ABC Illawarra: Sarah Moss)
According to the story, Oola-boola-woo eventually threw five daughters out to sea, who became the five islands of Port Kembla.
"It's a beautiful Dreaming story, even though he blew them out to sea," Ms Brown said.
"Eventually, the daughters turned into mermaids that swim around the islands.
"The daughter left up there was Geera, and she sat on the mountain until she was covered by leaves and moss, becoming the top of the mountain, which is now Mount Keira."
Read full article:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-26/history-of-five-islands-nature-reserve-in-nsw-illawarra-region/106050352