Tibrogargan and Beerwah had many children. One day when Tibrogargan
was gazing out to sea he noticed a great rising of the waters. Hurriedly
gathering his younger children to flee to the safety of the mountains he
called out to Coonowrin his eldest to help his mother Beerwah who was again
with child. Looking back Tibrogargan was greatly angered to see his son
running off alone. He pursued Coonowrin and raising his club struck the
latter such a mighty blow that it dislocated his neck and he has never
been able to straighten it since.
When the flood subsided and the family returned to the plains the other
children teased Coonowrin about his crooked neck. Feeling ashamed Coonowrin
went over to Tibrogargan and asked his forgiveness. But Tibrogargan, filled
with shame at his son's cowardice, could do nothing but weep copious tears,
which trickling along the ground formed a stream, the Tibrogargan Creek,
which flowed into the sea.
Then Coonowrin went to his brothers and sisters but they also wept
at the shame of their brother's cowardice. The lamentations of the family
explain the presence today of the numerous small streams in the area.
Tibrogargan then went to Coonowrin asking him why he had deserted Beerwah
to which Coonowrin replied that as Beerwah was the biggest of them all
she should be able to take care of herself. He did not realise that Beerwah
was again pregnant which was the reason for her great size. Then Tibrogargan
turned his back on Coonowrin and vowed he would never look at him again.
Even
today we see the family in the Glasshouse Mountains. The children are the
nine smaller ones; Beerwah the mother is the largest mountain for it takes
a long time to give birth to a mountain; Tibrogargan gazes far out
to sea, and never looks round at Coonowrin, the tall mountain with the
bent peak who hangs his head and cries, his tears forming the river that
runs out to sea.
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