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Home » Themes » People » Indigenous
YuranighPrint Page 
The headstone at the grave site was erected in memory of Yuranigh who died at Gamboola Station in 1850. Yuranigh was Thomas Mitchell`s aboriginal guide on the 1846 exploration to Queensland.
The grave is marked by 4 carved trees surrounded by a fence erected by the government at Thomas Mitchell`s request. It was replaced with marble slab in 1908.
On 15th December, 1845, Sir Thomas Mitchell left Boree on the last of four expeditions to explore eastern Australia. Accompanying the party were three Aboriginals. One of these, Yuranigh, was to prove himself indispensable to the expedition with his bushcraft skills. After the expedition, Yuranigh returned to Sydney with Mitchell, but he soon tired of the city. After a brief spell as stockman on a northern cattle station, he returned to Boree. He died there in 1850 and was buried by his people who also put inscriptions on four yellow box trees near his grave.
In March, 1852, Sir Thomas Mitchell asked the government to erect a fence around the grave and he supplied a stone with a suitable inscription. In 1900 the gravestone was re-erected by the government on a new base on Molong marble. In 1908 the headstone was replaced at the insistence of New South Wales Premier Carruthers who had visited the site and the inscription was copied from the old headstone. The grave site is now a dedicated reserve.
MOLONG, Saturday.— A new headstone is being placed by the State Government over the grave, situated about 1½ mile from Molong, on Gamboola Estate, of Yuranigh, the aboriginal guide of Major Mitchell, the celebrated explorer. The stone, which is a handsome one, bears the following inscription: — "To native courage, honesty, and fidelity. Yuranigh, who accompanied the expedition of discovery into tropica lAustralia in 1846, lies buried here, according to the rites of his countrymen, and the spot was dedicated and enclosed by the Governor-General's authority in 1852." The above inscription was copied from the old stone which had fallen down.
Evening News (Sydney), 24 August 1908.
Location
| Address: | Mitchell Highway, 3 kilometres south - turnoff to Yuranigh Road, Molong, 2866 |
|---|---|
| State: | NSW |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -33.116111 Long: 148.884167 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Grave |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Indigenous |
| Link: | http://adbonline.anu.edu.au/adbonli… |
Dedication
| Approx. Monument Dedication Date: | 1852 |
|---|
To
Native Courage,
Honesty And Fidelity,
YURANIGH
Who Accompanied The
Expedition Of Discovery
Into Tropical Australia In
— 1846 —
Lies Buried Here
According To The Rites
Of His Countrymen
And This Spot Was
Dedicated And Enclosed
By The
Governor General`s Authority
In 1852.
