Mackay region

The five Barra Groups in the Mackay/Pioneer Valley region are:

• Yuibera (Mackay Township area and north of Pioneer River)
• Kungalburra (Bakers Creek to Sarina area)
• Toolginburra (Eton Range area)
• Googaburra (Islands)
• Gurraburra (Mirani and Netherdale—Upper Pioneer Valley area).

Yuwi Country is home of the First Nations People known as the Yuwibara people. Yuwi Country is defined by its natural boundaries from Cape Palmerston in the South to the O’Connell River in the north, and the foothills of the Sarina, Clark, Eton, and Eungella Ranges to the west and east, encompassing the waterways between the north and south land boundaries.

During white settlement in the early 1860s, the immediate city area was named Port Mackay. This area, known as Yuibera Country to traditional descendants, is now referred to as Mackay.

Apical ancestry criteria confirm Yuibera peoples connection to country through historical family stories, kinship, and language, as well as sharing commonalities of time and place with those of the same family, kin, and group. Importantly, clan groups are identified in this area through family connections.