Three major landforms around Nyimili bear European names; they are Mt Truchanas, Tulip Gorge and Bushwalker’s Gorge, all in the southern portion of the range.
How did these features get their names and what do they mean?
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The names Mt Truchanas and Bushwalker’s Gorge were proposed to the Department of Lands and Surveys in October 1975 by the Hamersley Range Bushwalkers Club based in Paraburdoo. The club had formed in May 1974 and undertook many bush walks in the area. Subsequently, they were invited by the Department of Lands and Surveys to propose names for some of the features that were due to appear on a new map of the area.
The name Mt Truchanas was proposed to honour Olegas Truchanas a Lithuanian immigrant who migrated to Tasmania in 1948. Mr Truchanas was an avid bushwalker, explorer, photographer and conservationist who was a key figure in attempts to protect ecologically sensitive sites in Tasmania. He was once quoted as saying “this vanishing world is beautiful beyond our dreams and contains in itself rewards and gratifications never found in an artificial landscape or man-made objects." Mr Truchanas died tragically in 1972 and the Hamersley Range Bushwalkers Club proposed the name to honour his commitment to bushwalking and conservation.
The place that now bears the name Bushwalker’s Gorge was the site of some of the clubs earliest walks in the area and the name was proposed to reflect the that the gorge and creek line were associated with the early activities of the club.
The name Tulip Gorge remains a mystery. The name is not registered with Landgate and whilst the paintings and carvings are mentioned in newspaper articles concerning the club in 1974/1975, there is no evidence to suggest that they named this landscape feature. The name has also been given to the three rock-art sites in the gorge, Tulip Gorge 1 Hamersley, Tulip Gorge 2 and Tulip Gorge 3.