Notes on the Aborigines of the 
Donald District^ 
by Aldo Massola* 
In April, 1843, a party consisting of 
three white men and two aborigines, 
left Hall's Station, west of Talbot, to 
explore the dry country to the north 
of the Pyrenees, 
The two aborigines were to guide 
the white men to a large lake, which 
they said existed in that direction. 
The white men, J. B. Hall, E. McNeill 
and J. Darlot, were anxious to see this 
lake, for, if it did exist, they would 
"take up" the lands surrounding it. 
The natives, however, had warned 
the white man that this lake was fre- 
quented by a monstrous "several miles 
long" snake, called Mindie, which was 
in the habit of devouring, with equal 
propensity, both "emus and black- 
fellows": and the lubras of the tribe 
bewailed the party's departure with 
much lamentation and weeping, assert- 
ing that they would never return. 
Nevertheless, the party did return, 
for after following the dry bed of the 
Avon River for one and a half days 
without finding any sign of water, or 
even moisture, and not believing that 
any existed further north, despite their 
two native guides' assurances, the 
party turned west, reached the Wim- 
mera River, and made their way back 
home by ascending its course. Mindie 
thus remained in undisputed posses- 
sion of the lake. 
The belief in the existence of this 
monster was universal amongst the 
Victorian tribes. The Yarra River 
people described it as having a large 
head and two ears, with three fangs 
protruding from its tongue, and claim- 
ed that it hissed-out a white dust laden 
with all kinds of deadly diseases. It 
travelled with the speed of lightning, 
they said, by stretching itself over the 
tree-tops for a distance of between 20 
and 30 miles. It was believed by them 
to have its lair on a mountain called 
Bukker-panyool, (the Middle-moun- 
tain, now Buckrabanyule) and to only 
drink from a creek called Neel Kun- 
nung (Nasty or Poisoned Creek). The 
ground for a distance around the 
mountain was reputed to be so hard 
that no rain could penetrate it, and 
to be covered with small, hard, hail- 
like substance. This is probably a 
reference to the crystals of sulphate 
of lime found on the clay-pans in the 
Mallee, though not in the immediate 
vicinty of the mountain. The natives 
also claimed that the only trees grow- 
ing thereabout were Mulin, this being 
probably the Yarra tribe's version of 
the Mallee, a tree which did not occur 
in their own country. 
Though it would eat any man who 
ventured into its domain, Mindie only 
went forth hissing-out diseases when 
ordered to do so by Bunjil, the Great 
Man, or Creator, who sometimes thus 
employed him to punish wicked black- 
fellows. Mindie was also under orders 
to obey the members of a certain 
family, Munnie Brumbrum, who were 
the only humans who could live in 
that aweful country with impunity. 
The Murray River tribes also dreaded 
Mindie, and attributed most diseases 
to the white powder which hissed out 
of its mouth. Whirlwinds, of which 
they had a superstitious dread, were 
* Flat 4, 18 Wolseley St., Mont Albert 3127. 
$ Tn preparing these notes, which formed 
part of a lecture delivered before the Donald 
History and Natural History Group on 6/9/68, 
I received much assistance from Ron P. Falla, 
of Litchfield, and I here wish to record my 
thanks to him. 
42 
Vict. Nat.— Vol. 86 
