A natural waterfall at Punchbowl Reserve may be renamed in a nod to the area’s Aboriginal history.
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The City of Launceston endorsed a name submission for the rock fissure waterfall that was submitted to the Nomenclature Board by the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre.
Alderman at the City of Launceston council meeting on Monday voted to endorse the name for the fissure.
The name, 'luyni mungalina' pronounced as (loy nee) (mu ngah lee nah), translates to 'raining rock'.
The Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre spoke to its members and other community groups to shortlist the name they would submit to the board. About 120 people were consulted on the matter.
Deputy Mayor Rob Soward and aldermen Hugh McKenzie and Danny Gibson all spoke in their support for the proposed name submitted by the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre.
“It connects people with history and irrespective of the issue, if we understand more about history it helps guide us in the future,” Ald Soward said.
Ald McKenzie said the process undergone by the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre showed its connection to the issue and the name.
“It’s fantastic that it [the naming convention] has gone through this process. It’s lovely and I’m looking forward to learning how to say it better,” Alderman McKenzie said.
“We need to understand the way the language is used and how it’s pronounced. The more we and our children can learn about this is fantastic.”
Alderman Gibson also added his support.
“Things like this really help in a way forward in education and interpretation. May this be the start of other opportunities we are able to show support to the naming of other landmarks in the city.”
The rock fissure is a natural attraction that can be viewed from a small footbridge in the reserve.
A report to support the motion stated the decision to officially name the attraction would support the local Aboriginal community and would potentially attract more visitors by registering the feature on maps.
The motion was passed unanimously by the aldermen.