Kookaburras at the River's Edge, Quilt by Marie O’Kelley

Kookaburra, one of the wives of Googarh, was the mother of three sons, one grown and living away, and other two only
little boys. Their camp was near a goolahgool, a water-holding tree, of the iron bark or box species where they obtained water.

One day, Googarh, the iguana, and his two wives went out hunting, leaving the two little Kookaburras alone at camp. The hunters took water for themselves, but left none for the children, who were too small to get any from the goolahgool for themselves, so nearly perished from thirst. Suddenly they saw a man coming towards them who turned out to be their big brother.

When he learned his mother had left his little brothers to perish of thirst, he decided to punish her. He climbed the goolahgool and split it in two causing the water to gush out in a swiftly running stream. Soon the little fellows quenched their thirst and then, in their joy, bathed in the water, which grew in volume every moment.

When the hunters finally returned, they tried to cross the rushing stream, but it was too deep. They were soon engulfed in the rushing stream, drawn down by the current and drowned