Toy Boomerangs

Toy boomerangs were used by children throughout Australia, often being made by the children themselves from lightweight and easily carvable woods. They were used to hunt small animals, and also in games which involved throwing boomerangs at the body, and deflecting them with shields. In Queensland, toy boomerangs were used in a competitive game where both children and adults would try and spin the boomerang for the longest distance. They would also place markers on the ground, and make the boomerang return as close to the marker as possible. 

The toy boomerangs in our collection are both made from wood, and are undecorated. One is from the Nullarbor Plain, Western Australia. It was donated by Mrs C. P. Wills in 1946. The other is from Western Australia, and was donated by Mr Malcolm Shore Stanley in 1955.

References

Haagen, Claudia, Bush toys: Aboriginal Children at Play, Aboriginal Studies Press Canberra, 1994