The weeping Opal tale
One of the Opal creation stories of Central Queensland tells the tale of warring tribes that had a great many battles between them. At the height of the hostilities the tribes had exhausted their weapons, so they reverted to throwing stones. One warrior threw a large boulder so high, it got stuck in the sky. The stone expanded, until it explodes and reveled a fantastic Opal inside.
The great Opal spirit saw the ravages the war between the tribes has caused and started to cry heavy tears, which streamed down from the sky to the ground. As the sun started to shine, all the colors of the Opal could be seen as a sparkling rainbow. The surviving tribe members saw their first rainbow.
History of Aboriginal People in the Opalton/Winton area
Pre-colonial settlement in the region, the land now known as Winton was home to the Koa People. The shire also encompasses six other Indigenous nations. We acknowledge their rich culture and deep Knowledge of their country. The Winton shire spans over 53,000 square kilometers of spinifex, red dirt, ancient rock formations and vast skies.
The Koa People’s land is bordered by land belonging to the Maiawali, Karuwali, Yirandali, Inningai, Pitta Pitta and Wanamara Peoples. By 2021, descendants of the Koa people have had Native Title determination of more than 865,000 hectares of land in and near Winton (Queensland Government, 2021).