Yuranigh's grave is located just 4km south of Molong and 32km north of Orange. It's a significant historical site that bears witness to important early interaction between Aboriginal and European…
Yuranigh's grave is located just 4km south of Molong and 32km north of Orange. It's a significant historical site that bears witness to important early interaction between Aboriginal and European cultures.
Yuranigh, a Wiradjuri man, accompanied early explorer and surveyor Sir Thomas Mitchell on an expedition into the tropical interior of Australia in 1846. When Yuranigh died 4 years later, he was buried within a circle of carved trees, according to the traditional custom of his people. Out of respect, Mitchell also had a headstone placed over his grave. As a result, the gravesite contains a unique combination of Aboriginal and European burial customs that is not known of anywhere else in Australia.
Today, you can visit the peaceful cemetery and see a carved section of a trunk from one of the original burial trees. Take a moment to pause by Yuranigh's grave. The original sandstone headstone was donated by Mitchell, as well as a marble headstone that was later installed in 1900. The inscription on the headstone reads: 'To native courage honesty and fidelity Yuranigh who accompanied the expedition of discovery into tropical Australia in 1846 lies buried here according to the rites of his...
