Boobera Lagoon is a permanent water hole in

Moree Plains Shire Moree Plains Shire is a local government area in the North West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia. The northern boundary of the Shire is located adjacent to the border between New South Wales and Queensland. The Shire is located adja ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia, approximately 20 kilometres west of

Goondiwindi Goondiwindi () is a rural town and locality in the Goondiwindi Region, Queensland, Australia. It is on the border of Queensland and New South Wales. In the , Goondiwindi had a population of 6,355 people. Geography Goondiwindi is on the MacInt ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

. It is located at . It lies several kilometres south of the Macintyre River, which forms the border between

(to the north) and

, and is just north of the

Mungindi Mungindi is a town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality on the border of New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland, Australia. The town is within Moree Plains Shire in New South Wales. Within Queensland, the locality is split between the ...

road. Its outflow, which connects to the river, is named Boobera Watercourse. The

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') ...

is 7 kilometres in length and supports a wide variety of aquatic and bird life. The Indigenous people of the area believe the lagoon is the resting place of Garriya, the

Rainbow Serpent The Rainbow Serpent or Rainbow Snake is a common deity often seen as the creator God, known by numerous names in different Australian Aboriginal languages by the many different Aboriginal peoples. It is a common motif in the art and religion ...

, an important figure in

dreamtime The Dreaming, also referred to as Dreamtime, is a term devised by early anthropologists to refer to a religio-cultural worldview attributed to Australian Aboriginal beliefs. It was originally used by Francis Gillen, quickly adopted by his co ...

legend. The lagoon was particularly significant to the Bigambul and

Kamilaroi The Gamilaraay, also known as Gomeroi, Kamilaroi, Kamillaroi and other variations, are an Aboriginal Australian people whose lands extend from New South Wales to southern Queensland. They form one of the four largest Indigenous nations in Aust ...

people, who held the third stage of their joint male initiation ceremonies at this site. Today Boobera Lagoon is recognised as a culturally significant site and motorised water sport is prohibited on the Lagoon.Quiggin, Robynne "Boobera Lagoon" 5(6) ''Indigenous Law Bulletin'' 4 (2001). http://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/IndigLawB/2001/9.html#fn19

References

{{reflist Lakes of New South Wales