The Warrongo language, extinct since the death of the last speaker Alf Palmer in 1981, is classified as a member of the Maric branch of the Pama–Nyungan languages. Tsunoda Tasaku made a claim for Warungu having "the strongest syntactic ergativity" of all the world's languages.[1] The claim has been challenged by Robert M. W. Dixon who believes that the conversational material on which it is based is vitiated by confusions in the informant.[2]
The Warrongo bore close linguistic and cultural affinities with the Gudjal and Gugu Badhun peoples, all three occupying the Herbert and Upper Burdekin rivers.[5]
Like other contiguous groups of this area, the Warrango divided their members into four "skin" sections:
Tin was discovered in the vicinity of Warrongo territory,[b] in the Wild river area in 1880. John Atherton's Cashmere station, and the Gunnawarra station, were established on their territory in the mid-1870s.[3] The surging influx of miners led to many clashes and massacres. At Blencoe Falls, a group of Warrongo were driven off the cliffs to plunge into the gorge.[7] Very little knowledge survived of these people.[8]
Alf Palmer, boatbuilder, who also knew Jirrbal, Girramay, and Warrgamay.[9] His mother Lucy was one of the people pushed into the gorge to drown at Blencoe Falls.[7]