Booringa means 'fire and water' in the Gunggari languages that once sung the land around Mitchell into being. The word has come to mean many things for many people and is best known for once being the name of the local Shire Council. It is a word that has ancient roots going back to the time before time. It is a word that has special meaning now; especially in a time when water drawn from deep underground has been known to burn in some places across the Maranoa region.

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It is believed that fire and water do not mix and yet in strange ways they do. Without fire and water this country would not be what it is. Much of the environment in Australia has evolved and been traditionally managed by fire, and without water life ends very quickly.

 

Our festival was created to honour our connections together (Nalingu) to the country that gives life as well as livelihoods to those who call this region home. It is a living land - that lives on in those who would listen to what it has to say