A Sydney river could soon be renamed Goolay’yari under a proposal pushed by local councils as part of a new Aboriginal partnership strategy.
The Cooks River runs from a park in Bankstown in Sydney’s southwest through Strathfield South, Tempe and Botany Bay in the south of the city.
The river is named after British explorer James Cook, who landed at Botany Bay in 1770 and claimed possession of Australia’s east coast for the United Kingdom.
A group of Aboriginal partners are consulting with Sydney Water and a number of local councils on the proposal to rename or dual-name the waterway.
“It’s not really about changing the name, it’s about giving back the name it always had,” said Gregory Andrews, a man from Dharawal. ABC Radio Sydney.
“This does not detract from James Cook and all his achievements as a great explorer of his time. If he had “discovered” it today, I would not name it after him.
I would probably ask what his name was.
An iconic Sydney river could soon be renamed Goolay’yari under a proposal being pushed as part of a new Aboriginal partnership strategy (pictured, Cooks River in Sydney)
Goolay’yari is the local Eora word for the story of the Pelican’s Dream.
An island in the river, known as Fatima Island, appears to be shaped like a pelican’s leg, giving the waterway its name, Andrews said.
He said the river was once an important escape route for Aboriginal people who clashed with British settlers.
Mr Andrews said that in modern times, the river represented a safe space where people could take a break from the “hustle and bustle”.
Bayside, Inner West, Strathfield and Canterbury-Bankstown councils will continue to discuss the name change with the Cooks River Alliance.
It is understood that a final decision has not yet been made.
Gregory Andrews, a resident of Dharawal, says Fatima Island (pictured) in the Cooks River looks like the shape of a pelican’s leg when viewed on Google Earth
This comes after Fraser Island, off the coast of Queensland, officially reverted to the name K’gari, the name given to it by the native Butchulla people.
The name change was the result of a long campaign by indigenous elders.
A renaming ceremony was held in late 2021, attended by Butchulla elders and Queensland Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon.
Uluru became the first monument in the Northern Territory to be given a dual name when it was renamed Ayers Rock/Uluru in 1993.
In 2002 the titles were reversed and it was officially renamed Uluru/Ayers Rock.
