Towong was once home to the brolga, a large native crane species that migrated to and nested in the region’s wetlands. Named from the Gamilaraay Aboriginal language "burralgaare," brolga are among Australia’s most iconic birds. Distinguished by their coral red-orange heads and silver-grey plumage with black feathers tipping their wings and mating for life, earlier settlers called them ‘native companions’.
The last brolgas known to nest in Towong, their nests of twigs and vegetation, nested in the wetlands near the site where a sculpture now stands. Depicting two dancing brolgas and titled Our Song, this sculpture is one of nine along the Great River Road that celebrates the region’s unique history and the indigenous wild life.
Once common in Towong and the Upper Murray, the brolga favoured areas with abundant swampy land and open landscapes, typically featuring few large River Red Gums and little understory. Standing about 1.4m tall with a wingspan of over two metres, brolgas are fondly remembered for their
captivating courtship dance.
As local author Elyne Mitchell described in Kingfisher Feather (1962),
"They stepped and bowed, parted, spread their wings and advanced towards each other, stepped and bowed, and parted again, dancing in a ghostly rhythm on the moon-blanched grass."
Sadly, the brolga population began to decline in the 1960s due to wetland habitat degradation from agriculture, injuries from fence and power line collisions, and introduced species like foxes preying on their young. Disappearing in 1967, they remain an important part of the region's identity, and their memory endures as an integral part of Towong’s story. Local people fondly remember creeping down into the paddocks by the river to watch the brolgas dance. Brolgas used to be seen dancing near Colac Colac and also at Tintaldra.
One famous brolga, ‘Sweetie,’ was rescued by the Reiners’ family in the 1960s with a broken wing. Lavinia Reiners nursed him back to health, and by the time she named him, Sweetie had become a true family member. He delighted both adults and children when Lavinia carried him, with Sweetie stretching out his legs and walking beside her in the air.
However, not everyone in the Reiners’ family was as fond of Sweetie. Jack and Lavinia’s son, Max, recalled that Sweetie’s long neck could reach all corners of his anatomy—often with very painful results! Lavinia learned to subdue him by throwing a tea towel over his head. The last brolgas known to nest in Towong were located in the wetlands near the site of the sculpture 'Our Song'. You can learn more about them by visiting the site and reading the informative signage.
Who knows—perhaps they may return one day.
