Toowoomba Regional Council starts Indigenous consultation on renaming Tabletop Mountain

For thousands of years this iconic landmark was known as Meewah then Europeans arrived and stripped it of its history. A bold plan aims to right that wrong.

Plans to return Tabletop Mountain to its traditional name are moving forward with the Toowoomba Regional Council endorsing a motion to consult with Traditional Custodians and registered Aboriginal Parties on the idea.

The plan was endorsed at a council meeting on November 15, about two months after Indigenous elder Uncle Wayne Fossey called on the Toowoomba and Lockyer Valley Regional Council to support renaming the mountain.

“The Department of Resources has outlined the process for submitting a new name and one of the key considerations they take into account is whether the level of consultation is adequate,” Mayor Antonio said.

“Since the topic was first raised there has been a lot of community feedback on how we should refer to Mount Tabletop.

Uncle Wayne Fossey at the 179th Anniversary of the Battle of Meewah. Picture: Nev Madsen.

“While it’s encouraging to see so much support on this matter, we need to first engage with the Traditional Custodians and registered Aboriginal Parties prior to consultation with the community.

TRC will also consult with LVRC.

“Our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Committee is supportive of this process as there may be distinct cultural rights we’re not aware of,” Mr Antonio said.

It is hoped the name change would place Toowoomba and the Lockyer Valley economies in a position where they could cash in on a growing tourism industry that draws in Indigenous culture and heritage.

Uncle Wayne pointed to dozens of natural landmarks in the Helidon Spa, the Bunya Mountains and the Southern Downs that carry deep significance in Indigenous lore that tourists wanted to learn about.

“It is about understanding and truth telling,” he said.

“We should be talking about Meewah as Meewah, we should be talking about the history of Meewah and we should be telling our stories because they are brilliant stories.”