02/11/2026
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1F1u2YTtiL/
Five sisters were carried out to sea on pieces of a mountain. The sixth stayed behind, missing them until she became part of the mountain itself.
This is the Five Islands Dreaming story, publicly shared by Wodi Wodi Elders of the Illawarra.
Oola-boola-woo, the West Wind, lived on Merrigong, the Illawarra mountain range, with his six daughters: Mimosa, Wilga, Lilli Pilli, Wattle, Clematis and Geera.
In this telling, Mimosa behaved badly when her cousins visited. Her father became so angry that he broke away the piece of mountain beneath her and threw it into the sea.
The rock became an island.
Later, Wilga was blown out to sea on her rock. Lilli Pilli, Wattle and Clematis followed.
Five sisters. Five pieces of the mountain. The Five Islands off Port Kembla.
The sisters became mermaids, swimming around the islands.
But Geera remained behind.
She fretted for her sisters, sitting quietly on the mountain. She stayed until leaves and moss covered her, becoming the summit we now know as Mount Keira.
Look towards the islands, then back towards the escarpment. This story connects them.
For people who have grown up seeing these places, learning their cultural stories can change how they see the coastline they call home.
Had you heard the story of Geera and her five sisters? 🌊
Acknowledging the Wodi Wodi custodians and the public telling shared by Aunty Lorraine Brown, Narelle Thomas and Coomaditchie United Aboriginal Corporation.
