Tenterfield Tourism
Woollool Woolloolni

Woollool Woollol Aboriginal Culture Tours

Woollool Woolloolni Aboriginal Place reserves 370ha and the balancing rock is clearly visible from the Bruxner Highway 18Km north east of Tenterfield. The peak, rising 1040 metres above sea level, is an outcrop of granite with one mushroom shaped rock standing above the other boulders. Thomas Hewitt, who managed Stonehenge Station, south of Glen Innes, searched for a route from the Tablelands to the coast. He found it too steep from Glen Innes and explored the area east of Tenterfield. In 1840 or 1841 he marked out the route the Bruxner Highway now follows. Whilst doing this, he named the rock "Wellington's Lookout" because of the rock's resemblance to the hat worn by Wellington at the battle of Waterloo.

So the place was known variously as Wellington's Lookout, Mount Wellington or Wellington's Rock. To the local Aboriginals, it has always been Woollool Woolloolni.

A Special Place: It is now protected as an Aboriginal Place. This site is a good example of a natural feature which has religious and mythological importance to Aboriginals.

It is a centre of spiritual power, a Djuravehl in the Bundjalang language. A Wuyangali or 'Clever Man' called Woollool Woollool had exclusive rights to this djuravehl. Aboriginal people believed that when the owner of a Djuravehl died, their spirit would return to that place and cause some physical change. It is said that when Woollool Woollool died, a rock on top of the present balancing rock fell off. This event indicated that Woollool Woollool's spirit had returned and that it would now be safe for anyone to approach the site.

There is a special song, in the local dialect, about the site which is known to some of the local people. Some of the Woollool Woollool Aboriginal Culture Tour guides sing it during their conducted tours.

The stories that suround this site vary according to the locality of the storyteller. The Wahlubal at Tabulam have one, the Githabal at Mulli Mulli near Woodenbong have another and the song sung Woollool Woollool's son is another. They do have common elements. The person Woollool Woollool and the importancce of the rock, for instance.

NOTE: The suffix -ni makes it a possessive pronoun. Therefore Woollool Woolloolni means "Place of Woollool Woollool" [Wool/lool Wool/lool/ni].

ACCESS: There is a dry weather road to within 3Km of the site and a 4 wheel track to the rock. It is hoped that this will be upgraded so ask a helper at the Visitor Centre for an update.

We are priveleged to visit this site, so if you intend to visit please respect this place of great natural beauty and spiritual importance.