Brukangga and Tindale's uses of the word bruki

Abstract

At the date of last editing (above), we can be fairly sure that in times of first contact ‘Brookunga’ (phonetic spelling Brukangga) was an ‘outsider’ name for a deposit of iron pyrites in the southern Mt Lofty Ranges; it was on Section 5279, Hundred of Kanmantoo; and it meant ‘place of fire’, with a secondary reference to pyrites. However, none of these propositions is yet proved beyond all reasonable doubt. The name was first drawn to public attention in 1952 as a new name officially bestowed on a new settlement on Section 5279 for workers at the proposed Nairne Pyrites Mine. The Nomenclature Committee reported that “during the original survey” of this area the name “Brookunga” had been recorded on “a creek running through the section” (i.e. Dawesley Creek, which also contained the northern part of the large pyrites deposit); or perhaps on “the creek running through the area”. After consultation with NB Tindale and the Mt Barker District Council, the name was gazetted in the spelling “Brukunga”.