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boorook


Boorook was a monster which lived in a farm dam in the Barossa Valley (used to scare children & keep them from the dam to minimise risk of drowning). My father, now 81, who is of Wendish descent & grew up in the Barossa speaking German (Wendish died out after the first generation in Australia & Wends then spoke German as they lived in German speaking community) until he went to school, recalls this word used on his farm. Years later when I stayed there as a child & English was spoken a "boogie man" lived in the dam. Interesting to compare these 2 to Bunyip: Children would be told not to go near the dam of the boorook would get them!