Dhungala proposal for new bridge name

By Riverine Herald

Mar 27, 2022

The Riverine Herald readership has welcomed the proposal for a more significant celebration of the impending opening of the new Echuca-Moama bridge across the Murray River.

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Ideas for the opening and naming of the new bridge have been steadily flowing in to The Riv’s Facebook page. On Wednesday The Riv will take a deeper dive into some of those ideas.

For now, a letter from a Yorta Yorta Elder, Echuca’s Judy Atkinson, will explain one expectation of the community:

“As a Yorta Yorta Elder and community member I would like to suggest names for the two new bridges and ideas for the official opening ceremony.

“A cultural opening ceremony for the official opening of the two new bridges would be fitting, because both bridges are built on Yorta Yorta Country, which stretches to both sides of the river and it would be appropriate to show respect to the Elders and original custodians.

“I suggest we would conduct the following procedures for the official opening of the two new bridges:

Opening ceremony to start on Moama side with a traditional smoking ceremony;
Aboriginal coloured ribbons to be cut at the beginning of each bridge;
Unveiling of a plaque for the two new bridges;
The ideal names for the two bridges are from the Yorta Yorta language to educate the broader community on Aboriginal culture and history.

“Names I would like to suggest are Dhungala, meaning Murray River and Yakoa, meaning Campaspe River.

Yorta Yorta Elders wearing possum skin cloaks seated on an Aboriginal-designed float to be the first to cross over the two new bridges, followed by other officials on a colony-designed float followed by school groups from Moama and Echuca;
At the completion of the official ceremony an event could be held in the port area with a band performing;
At night a sound and light show on both sides of the Murray River.

– Judy Atkinson

By Riverine Herald

RIV Herald