“Before the Flinders and Batman landing, the area was occupied by the Wathaurong tribe, and the name given to them was Bellarine, ‘a place to rest in peace.’ The cave and the offshore rock were known as the home of Wanji, the spirit who controlled life and was said to take the form of a giant black snake on land. In the water, Wanji then turned into a giant eel and travelled up into the sky on the rainbow. The area occupied by the Wahturong women during the day in the Portarlington district was on the shore between Fisher and Gellibrand streets and the men's area near Steeles Rock, the cave being between the two. At night the various groups returned to the camp area southwest of the Gold Links.” (Mckenzie, 1986)

“Mathew Flinders first named and identified ‘Hat Rock’ on his Map of Port Phillip in 1802. The name of “Hat Rock” is hard to understand until one sees it from the water. At low tide, the rocky outcrop sits on a large, flat rock shelf that could look like a ‘hat’. Walking along the beach in an eastward direction, you will be graced cliffs of red, orange and white ochre, which on wild stormy days can make the water at the base of the cliff turn red as it collapses into the sea. A little further along, a historic Aboriginal Birthing Cave with middens upon the ‘roof’; continuing even a little further, wandering past the boat ramp and jetty, the cliffs reform and more middens are revealed atop – though as this cliff face continues to collapse into the sea rapidly, these may become less and less apparent.” (www.poi-uastralia.com, 2023)

Following John Batman’s exploration of Port Phillip, John Helder Wedge (a member of the Port Phillip Association) also referenced “Hat Rock” in his more refined map of Port Phillip – c 1836. The picture drawn by John Wedge depicting the Batman Encampment of 1835 clearly outlines a small cove with the huts placed high on a cliff which descends to sea level as the cove rounds to the next point. There is only one area on the entire peninsula that features these landmarks and has a depth of water greater than 9 ft (2.74 m) that would enable the Rebecca to anchor close enough to shore to allow the crew to unload her within an hour – and that is at Matthew Flinders’ Hat Rock. That coupled with the knowledge that early explorers generally set camp at high points to ensure that they could see danger approaching, plus the fact that fresh water was available from a spring (noted on all the original maps and in William Todd’s diary) not far away, leads to the distinct possibility that “Hat Rock” may well have been the location of Batman’s first camp at Port Phillip. Being such a high point would have enabled the camp to see The Rebecca (Batman’s Ship) returning, as quoted in Todd’s journal. (www.poi-uastralia.com, 2023)

Mckenzie’s report in 1986 about the Aboriginal history of the Bellarine Peninsula shows a story about Wanji and young boys being initiated into a man at the rock we are discussing

The story is called ‘Wanjarrah’s Journey’ and goes something like this:

The old man sat in the distant camp,

Near the end of his life span,

His mind wandered again down the Dreamtime track,

To the place where life began.

With men of his tribe, he had travelled when young

To the far-away sacred place,

Where from the water and stone, sun, moon and the stars,

Came first of the human race.

The journey began over desert and plain,

along the river and the mountain stream,

Seldom pausing for food, shelter or rest,

Drawn on as though in a dream.

He saw once again the eagle on high,

Watch over Jahjowerong

Then a welcoming call was heard from afar.

Came from men of the Wathaurong.

As they stood on the shore of the waters blue,

The first he had ever seen,

Their leader said you may rest in peace

We have reached the “Ballerine”.

Refreshed and eager, near Wanji Rock,

They came to a sacred cave,

Where the Elders had gathered to help him prepare,

For the blessing that Wanji gave.

He lay on the Rock where no shadows fall,

Through the heat of the burning sun,

Then as the light of the moon gave way to the dawn,

He knew Wanji, and he was one.

Though his eyes were dim, his mind was clear,

And recalled the pride and joy,

When he came back to his people with head held high,

He was a man, no longer a boy.

Sources:

- Aboriginal History of Bellarine Peninsula by Evan McKenzie, August 1986.

- John Helders Wedges hand-written Journal, 1835

- “A Voyage to Terra Australis” – Volume I – by Matthew Flinders – Chapter 9 – published, 1814

- https://poi-australia.com.au/points-of-interest/australia/victoria/portarlington/hat-rock-opposite-5-the-esplanade-portarlington-vic/, 2023