Anyone know anything about these? They are very much different from the standard tourist boomerang (like in the top right).

Could they have been made by Aboriginal Australians?

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All i know is that they look badass, i have seen different variations of the boomerang.

I will provide more pictures if anyone wants.


vetryan15 wrote on Feb 28^th, 2020 at 11:45am:

they look badass

thanks! ;D

The bottom 5 look like legit boomerangs
Rough guess is they are made from jam wood (acacia accuminata).
Look like they are mostly decorative, but may also be functional as hunting tools.
At least they’re accurate is the choice of dense heavy hard wood.
As for where in Australia they were made that’s out of my knowledge but likely not coastal because these trees occur more inland.
Top boomerang looks like a cheap knockoff

I agree with the group.  Those look pretty nice!  Where did you get them?  Have you tried throwing one?

joe_meadmaker wrote on Feb 28^th, 2020 at 8:53pm:

Where did you get them?  Have you tried throwing one?

I got them from an elderly man who travelled the world in his younger days when overseas travel was a rarity (he had tons of odd stuff from around the world).
I have tried throwing one (the smallest) some months ago and it broke in two when it landed on a gravel road but I patched it up quite nicely. Afterwords I haven't been able to try throwing one again because it has been incredibly windy for weeks around here.

From the little throwing I have done I can definitely say that it was functional and non-returning.


Mersa wrote on Feb 28^th, 2020 at 8:49pm:

Rough guess is they are made from jam wood (acacia accuminata).

Interesting! Then they would have been made in west-south Australia (according to my search engine).

They are definitely a more hunting profile boomerang not a returning sports boomerang, except the top one maybe.
Can’t 100% confirm its jamwood but almost definitely a inland species of acacia

Mersa wrote on Feb 29^th, 2020 at 5:00pm:

except the top one maybe

Yeah that one is not part of the collection. I bought it off a flea market.

Look like a kyile stick

http://www.throwsticks.com/


Ask this man he could tell you I am sure he makes some awesome throw sticks

That's awesome!  Thanks for the link ghost0311-8541.  I'd love to get one of those, just not sure where I'd throw it.  That demo video is great.

I tried throwing the second smallest one yesterday and I flies in a perfect straight path. Very nice!
Problem is that the slightest wind with quickly make it spin around itself and fall to the ground. Can't wait for perfect windless weather.

@ghost0311-8541
they do look nice!

Those look really nice and the guy who runs it seems to be a slinger :D In some of the product photos, a sling is laid out with the throwingsticks and I noticed he had one on his belt in some of his videos. Seems he has a really nice woven sling. Looks to be South American. I certainly approve :D

Reviving this thread to bring you this message: no, I do not think these are authentic boomerangs.



Some months ago I found a typology of Australian boomerangs: https://www.aboriginal-bark-paintings.com/aboriginal-boomerang/
And found my boomerangs do not seem to fit any of the types.

Searching for some examples I fell upon this site selling stuff: https://www.carters.com.au/index.cfm/index/2220-australian-aboriginal-artefacts-boomerangs/
Many of the boomerangs are described as being from western, central, etc. Australia and look like they should according to the typology.

And suspiciously many boomerangs look like the spitting image of mine.
https://img.carters.com.au/eb25bbc0f429980579968f9ab1b48b6e.jpg
https://img.carters.com.au/4800c3a6ada4a6608757f3c858d73367.jpg
https://img.carters.com.au/eb1e31fe9b530e8e0c0cbe2ce5996c5c.jpg
And do not seem to fit any specific typology either. And they are NEVER described as being from any specific area.
Search for "kangaroo" and most of the boomerangs with this description fit the above points.

Not only that, few other boomerangs have figure carvings as intricate as those kangaroos and emus. Some have patterns and stripes and such, and THEY look like their described area of origin.


They were probably made in some modern workshop and are what souvenir boomerangs looked like back in the 50-60's.

They certainly look nicer than the modern tourist versions. In some ways they do have a kind of greater interest, but towards the history of Australian tourism than maybe the history of Australian weapons :D Still a very nice little collection. I still have managed to control myself and not buy anything from Throwsticks.com. Every day my resolve get's weaker...

Kick, i actually just made a purchase through them about 2 weeks ago. Got it last weekend, but havent had an opportunity to try it yet.

Those boomerangs might be  for tourists,  but thet still look better then the modern ones u get

To add. A nice map.


Kick wrote on Dec 19^th, 2021 at 3:37am:

In some ways they do have a kind of greater interest, but towards the history of Australian tourism than maybe the history of Australian weapons.

The next step of detective work would be tracking down the exact shed where a guy, late for several decades, spent his free time making boomerangs, selling them to the local tourist office.


vetryan15 wrote on Dec 19^th, 2021 at 5:42am:

Those boomerangs might be  for tourists,  but thet still look better then the modern ones u get

True. They are still the stuff that you want hanging on your wall.
And if they can fool a website of primitive weapons enthusiasts, you can always tell your guests that they are original Kimberley war boomerangs used in the second Australian anti-colonial uprising.

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