The indigenous Wandandi people originally called Margaret River the Wooditchup Bilya, which mean the creators river. The Wandandi people tell the dreamtime story of Wooditchup creating the amazing Bilya (river) with his magic. The river begins near Cranebrake Pool, in the Whicher Range and is fed by other catchments until it reaches the Indian Ocean. The Wandandi people utilise the river for hunting gilget (fish) and other food sources. They create fishing spears from the local peppermint and tea trees, with yonga (kangaroo) and watji (emu) bone tips. They build traditional mia mia huts from the bark of paperbark trees. The caves along the river are sacred to Wandandi people and they are considered pathways to the Dreaming.
When we visited the Margaret River area the river was low and was held back from the Indian Ocean in a calm lagoon by a sand bar, waiting for a storm to wash away the bar and allow the river access to the roaring Ocean. The sight was very picturesque, each morning we would walk along the road and the pedestrian path enjoying the serenity of the Margaret River mouth and along with the surfers catching a wave, appreciate the wonders of our beautiful country.
