What Goes Around Comes Around: Boomerangs, the Dreamtime, and the Stories Behind Every Throw
Share
Published by OZ Boomerangs | ozboomerangs.com.au
Pick up a boomerang and something shifts. Maybe it's the weight of it in your hand, or the way it demands your full attention — the wind, your grip, the angle of your throw. Whatever it is, you feel it. And that feeling makes sense, because what you're holding is one of humanity's oldest tools, shaped by tens of thousands of years of knowledge, connection, and culture.
At OZ Boomerangs, we're passionate about bringing the sport of boomerang throwing to every school oval, backyard, and open field across Australia. But we also believe that throwing a boomerang is always more than a sport. It's a moment of connection — to the land, to the air, and to the ancient culture that gave this remarkable object to the world.
With National Reconciliation Week (26 May – 3 June) and NAIDOC Week (6–13 July) here, we thought there was no better time to explore the stories behind the throw.
What Is the Dreamtime?
The Dreamtime — also called the Dreaming — is not simply a set of ancient myths. It is the living spiritual and cultural foundation of Aboriginal Australian life. In the Dreaming, powerful ancestral beings moved across the land at the beginning of time, shaping everything that exists: the rivers, the mountains, the animals, the wind. Their journeys became the land itself, and their stories became the laws and knowledge systems that Aboriginal communities have carried for generations.
Crucially, the Dreamtime is not something that ended. It is ever-present. Country — the land, the water, the sky, and every living thing within them — remains alive with Dreaming. And many of the tools that Aboriginal peoples made and used, including the boomerang, exist within this living spiritual world.
When you throw a boomerang and watch it arc through the sky and return, you are glimpsing something that Aboriginal Australians have understood for a very long time: that everything moves in cycles. That what goes around, comes around. That the land and the living are always in conversation.
The Boomerang in Dreaming Stories
Australia is home to hundreds of distinct First Nations nations, each with their own languages, laws, ceremonies, and stories. There is no single Dreamtime story about the boomerang — just as there is no single European story about the wheel. The boomerang held different meanings and purposes across different regions, climates, and cultures. But across many traditions, common themes emerge.
The Shaping of Country
In some Dreaming stories, ancestral beings used objects in boomerang-like flight during the very act of creation — hurling them to carve valleys, direct water, or mark the boundaries of sacred places. The arc of the boomerang, travelling out and returning to its source, mirrors a profound truth at the heart of many Aboriginal belief systems: that all things move in cycles, and that the world was shaped by forces that always came home.
A Bridge Between Worlds
In certain traditions, the boomerang's flight was understood as a connection between the earth and the sky. It moved along the same invisible pathways as birds, winds, and ancestral spirits. To throw a boomerang was to participate, in some small way, in that endless conversation between the human world and the world of the Dreaming.
The Emu and the Clever Bird
One of the most widely shared Dreaming stories tells of how the emu lost its ability to fly. In many versions, a clever bird tricks the emu into hiding or clipping its wings — a tale of jealousy, deception, and consequence that has echoed across generations. In some tellings, the boomerang plays a role in this story, a tool wielded in the unfolding of fate. It's a reminder that the boomerang was never just a hunting implement — it was part of the fabric of story, morality, and meaning.
Stars and the Arc of the Sky
Several Aboriginal groups have long identified the arc of the boomerang with celestial formations — the curve of the Milky Way, the paths of stars across the night sky. For peoples who navigated by starlight and read the seasons in the heavens, this was a natural and powerful connection. The boomerang was not just a tool of the earth. It was a reflection of the sky above.
Not One Story, but Many
It's important to understand — and to honour — that there is no single Aboriginal culture, no single language, and no single Dreamtime. Across the continent, hundreds of distinct First Nations peoples developed their own unique relationships with the boomerang over thousands of years.
In the arid interior, boomerangs were often crafted from mulga and acacia wood and used not just for hunting, but as musical instruments: clapped together to keep rhythm in ceremony. In coastal regions, different designs suited different landscapes and purposes. Many traditional boomerangs were not designed to return at all — they were long-distance hunting weapons, built for impact rather than flight. The returning boomerang we know and love today was primarily used in certain regions for sport and for driving waterfowl into nets, where the spinning flight startled birds skyward.
This diversity matters enormously. When we hold a boomerang, we are not holding one story. We are holding a thread in a vast, rich tapestry of thousands of years of human ingenuity, creativity, and deep knowledge of the land.
Boomerangs as Resistance: The Legacy of Bill Onus
No conversation about boomerangs in Australia — and especially in Victoria — is complete without acknowledging one of the most remarkable figures in the history of this sport: William Townsend Onus.
Bill Onus (1906–1968) was a Wiradjuri and Yorta Yorta man, raised at Cummeragunja Aboriginal Reserve on the Murray River, who became a celebrated activist, performer, and entrepreneur. He was also, by all accounts, an exceptional boomerang thrower — and he understood, with extraordinary clarity, that throwing a boomerang was a political act.
Through his business, Aboriginal Enterprises, Bill ran a factory and shop in the Dandenong Ranges — in the hills east of Melbourne — where he crafted and sold boomerangs and other cultural items, and gave boomerang-throwing demonstrations that drew visitors from across Victoria and beyond. He toured widely as a travelling showman, advocating for boomerang throwing as a national sport. But for Bill, the business was never primarily about profit. It was about asserting the dignity and vitality of Aboriginal culture at a time when that culture was being actively suppressed.
Every throw said: This culture is alive. It is skilled. It is worthy of your respect.
Bill Onus went on to become the first Aboriginal president of the Aborigines Advancement League, a leader in the campaign for the historic 1967 referendum, and the first Aboriginal Justice of the Peace in Victoria. He organised theatre, campaigned against the British nuclear tests at Maralinga, and is now recognised as likely one of Australia's first Aboriginal filmmakers.
His son, Lin Onus, first learned to paint in his father's workshop in those same Dandenong Ranges hills — and went on to become one of Australia's most celebrated artists.
This connection hits close to home for us — literally. OZ Boomerangs is based in Selby, in the Dandenong Ranges, just a short drive from where Bill Onus ran his boomerang factory and shop in nearby Belgrave. These are the same hills, the same open sky, the same mountain air in which Bill threw boomerangs for crowds, for children, and for the dignity of his culture. We are deeply honoured to carry the baton — however humbly — in these same hills where Bill Onus made his case to the world.
Why This Matters When You Throw
At OZ Boomerangs, our mission is to bring the sport of boomerang throwing to every Australian — to schools, playgrounds, parks, gymnasiums, and backyards. We want every child to know the joy of watching a boomerang leave their hand, arc through the open sky, and come spinning back.
But we also want every throw to carry awareness. When you grip a boomerang near its tip, aim just above the horizon, and feel the spin travel from your wrist through your arm and out into the air, you are participating in something that stretches back at least 50,000 years. The physics haven't changed. The wind hasn't changed. The land hasn't changed. And the satisfaction of that return — that moment when the boomerang curves back toward you — is a feeling shared across generations of human beings on this remarkable continent.
Throwing a boomerang with knowledge of its origins is a form of respect. It is a way of saying: I know this came from somewhere. I know it carries meaning beyond the sport. I am grateful.
This Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC Week, that awareness matters more than ever.
Boomerangs in the Classroom: Learning Through Throwing
One of our greatest joys at OZ Boomerangs is working with schools. Boomerang throwing is a natural fit for curriculum — connecting physical education with science (aerodynamics, physics of spin and flight), cultural studies, and history. And our safe foam boomerangs mean students of all ages can participate without worry.
Our OZzie Icerunner and OZzie Emu foam boomerangs are specifically designed for beginners and young students — affordable, safe, and reliable returners at 4–7 metres, perfect for first-timers of any age. For those who want something handcrafted right here in Australia, our FlyingToyz Indoor Superang and FlyingToyz Outdoor Superang are made locally from unique multi-coloured foam, and ambidextrous - the Indoor Superang is a delight for science rooms and gymnasiums, while the Outdoor Superang suits every skill level from beginner to advanced. Our Aussie Magic Sport Boomerang (plastic, 35 metres) and the full range of Performance Wooden Boomerangs — Aussie Arrow, Aussie Fire Dancer, OZ Phoenix, and Captain Hook — are also proudly made in Australia, handcrafted from high-quality aviation birch plywood for intermediate and advanced throwers. And for younger readers, our Booma Rangi book tells the story of Rangi and his Superang, making the perfect companion for classroom learning.
Schools interested in bringing boomerang throwing into their Reconciliation Week or NAIDOC Week programs are welcome to get in touch — we'd love to help you put together the perfect class set.
Learn More About the Culture Behind the Throw
We encourage everyone who picks up a boomerang — student, teacher, parent, or first-time thrower — to explore the rich cultural heritage that underpins it. Some wonderful places to start:
- AIATSIS (Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies) at aiatsis.gov.au — an extraordinary archive of First Nations cultural knowledge, stories, and resources.
- Reconciliation Australia at reconciliation.org.au — information, resources, and events for National Reconciliation Week.
- NAIDOC Committee at naidoc.org.au — everything you need to know about NAIDOC Week and its 2026 theme.
- Local First Nations cultural centres and Keeping Places — many regions across Australia have dedicated centres where you can hear stories and see traditional artefacts in the places where they belong.
Ready to Throw?
Whether you're a school looking to celebrate Reconciliation Week with something unforgettable, a family wanting a truly Australian backyard activity, or a beginner ready to discover what all the fuss is about — we're here to help you find the perfect boomerang.
Browse our full range at ozboomerangs.com.au 📞 0449 508 575 ✉️ ozboomerangs@gmail.com 📱 @ozboomerangs
OZ Boomerangs is a trading name of Pure Pacific Products Pty Ltd, ABN 59 642 588 949, based at 1 Charles Street, Selby VIC 3159. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we live, work, and throw — the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people of the Kulin Nation — and pay our respects to their Elders, past, present, and emerging. We also acknowledge the First Nations peoples from whose culture the boomerang comes, and whose knowledge and creativity continue to inspire us every day.
Tags: Dreamtime, NAIDOC Week, Reconciliation Week, Aboriginal culture, boomerang history, boomerang throwing, foam boomerangs, schools, Indigenous Australia, Bill Onus