Woolloomooloo means kangaroo, especially a young kangaroo.
The original Aboriginal word was pronounced more like "walla mulla".
"Woolloomooloo - from an Aboriginal word "Walla-mulla" meaning "young
male kangaroo"
This website quotes "The Book of Sydney Suburbs", compiled and edited
by Frances Pollon (1988)
http://homepages.ihug.com.au/~isaacyip/suburbs3.htm
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"Wallamoula (Cadigal for kangaroo) to Woolloomooloo"
Heritage Council of New South Wales
http://www.heritage.nsw.gov.au/docs/placenames_policy.pdf
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"Woolloomooloo thought to be an Aboriginal word for a young kangaroo."
http://www.boatingoz.com.au/articles/sydharnames.htm
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". . . .the area was originally set aside by Governor Phillip as a
reserve for local Aborigines it took the name WALLA-MULLA meaning
young male kangaroo (the spelling being settled 1830.)"
http://www.darlinghurst.biz/woolloomooloo/history_views.htm
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It has been spelt various different ways over the years:
" Present name: Woolloomooloo Bay
Aboriginal name: Walla-mool, Wallamoula, Wooloomooloo "
http://www.livingharbour.net/maps/aboriginal_place_txt.htm
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By the way, the word "kangaroo" came from another part of Australia.
"First contact between the Cadigal and Europeans was marked by
curiosity and misunderstanding. The word ?kangaroo?, for example, was
not a local Aboriginal word. It was introduced to the Cadigal by
Europeans from Captain Cook?s expedition wordlist, based on a north
Queensland Aboriginal language. The Cadigal assumed it was the
English word for animal."
http://www.hht.nsw.gov.au/home2
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"The name, by the way, is from an Aboriginal language other than the
one which gave us kangaroo, but oddly enough, Woolloomooloo is
actually about kangaroos. In this case, small brown kangaroos. I heard
that this really referred to joeys"
http://www.hidebound.com/A555BA/Welcome.nsf/0/1bf0ea0c75c5d31886256d9c0037119c?OpenDocument
Thanks for an interesting question!
Please don't hesitate to ask if you would like me to clarify anything.
Best Wishes - Leli
Searches:
Woolloomooloo aborigine OR aboriginal origin
://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=Woolloomooloo+aborigine+OR+aboriginal+origin+&btnG=Google+Search&meta=
Woolloomooloo "aboriginal name OR word" joey OR kangaroo
://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Woolloomooloo+%22aboriginal+name+OR+word%22+joey+OR+kangaroo&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&start=10&sa=N
Walla-mulla kangaroo
://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=Walla-mulla+kangaroo&btnG=Google+Search&meta=
Cadigal word kangaroo
://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=cadigal+word+kangaroo&btnG=Google+Search&meta= |
