Australian Folklore

Australian folklore is based on traditional beliefs, legends and customs of a group, handed down through generations. Folklore tells the stories and experiences of people in ways that factual accounts cannot - conveying emotions, hopes and fears though time and place. Some are literally true and some are not.

UNESCO has a convention that recognizes the importance and value of folklore as a means of understanding culture and heritage. It classifies languages, music, rituals, performing arts, craftsmanship and folklore as 'Intangible Heritage'

Australian folklore traditions

Australian folklore, its traditions, customs and beliefs are based on both Indigenous and also non-Indigenous people's knowledge and experience of history in Australia.

The Indigenous Australians' knowledge base goes back tens of thousands of years. Indigenous knowledge, law, and religion, which provide the basis of their folklore, are rich in stories of the land, its animals and plants. This knowledge has its roots in the 'Dream times', 'The Dreaming' or 'Dreamtime' stories, meaning to see or understand the law (Frank Gillen with Baldwin Spencer translating an Arrernte word Altyerrenge). Some Indigenous stories, like the bunyip - man-eating animals that live in water-holes, swamps and creeks - have been absorbed into wider Australian folklore and identity.

Source: http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/folklore/