More Than Just Cairns: Discovering Gimuy

"Excuse me. What's Gimuy?"

Visitors to my stall are often curious as to why I put "Gimuy" on many of my handmade and/or decorated souvenir items. In fact, sadly, some locals don't even understand it!

I put the word Gimuy (pronounced ghee-moy) on my souvenir magnets , because I want to acknowledge the full history of the place we now call Cairns. Using this name isn't about being political, it’s about truth-telling and showing respect to the 60,000+ years of culture.

When you land in Cairns, you aren’t just visiting a tropical gateway, you’re stepping onto Gimuy Walubara Yidinji Country. For thousands of years before the modern name "Cairns" existed, this land was known as Gimuy.

What’s in a Name?

The name comes from the Yidinji language. Gimuy is the name for the Slippery Blue Fig Tree (Ficus albipila). These massive trees once lined the Cairns inlet, providing shade and fruit for the "Walubara" people, the people belonging to the "side of the hill".

Connection to Country

For the Traditional Owners, the land is more than just a setting; it is a living relative. Professor Henrietta Marrie AM, a renowned Gimuy Walubara Yidinji Elder and academic, explains that "Country makes us strong and keeps us well". To her people, every part of the landscape from the mountain ranges to the Great Barrier Reef is connected by ancient stories and law.

Bringing Stories to Life

If you want to dive deeper into these traditions while you’re here, look for the work of local storytellers and Elders

Umi Arts is unique in the Australian arts landscape as an arts and cultural organisation governed by an all-Indigenous Board of Directors.

Trevor Fourmile (Bumi) A local author whose children's books, like Gurril, Storm Bird, share Yidinji cultural beliefs about the rainforest and the arrival of the wet season.

Yidinji Dancers You can often see the Yidinji culture in action through song and dance at events like the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF), which celebrates the "Storylines" held by the Gimuy Bama (people).

When you walk along the Cairns Esplanade, take a moment to look for the remaining fig trees and remember that you are walking on the unceded lands of the Gimuy Walubara Yidinji people.

Acknowledgement of Country

I acknowledge the Gimuy Walaburra Yidinji and Yirrganydji as the Traditional Custodians of the land, seas, and waterways on which my home and surrounding area stands.  I pay respect to their Elders both past and present.