Garrayura Boeing 787-9 - Garramila

Garrayura is the evolution of Mate - the Virgin Australia to Mate's Virgin Blue.
VH-GRD was the 11th of 12 Boeing 787-8s originally ordered by the Mascot based Mate B788 Leasing Concern. This aircraft is named Garramila, Larrakia for Darwin. Darwin is the capitall city and administrative centre of the Northern Territory. The Registration, GRD is another subtle nod to Darwin, and Garrayura's deep and lasting connection to the Northern Territory.

Most repainted Garrayura 787s to carry the indigenous names of capital cities or nearby landmarks: Ngunnalwal (Canberra), Naarm (Melbourne), Nipaluna (Hobart), Tarndanya (Adelaide), Boorloo (Perth), Garramilla (Darwin) and Meanjin (Brisbane) as well as Mparntwe (Alice Springs), Gimuy (Cairns), Yulara (Uluru).
What is Garrayura you ask? Garrayura is the ancient Dharuk word for Sky and was mainly spoken by the Dharug nation of Indigenous Australians, who settled around what is considered modern day Sydney.


Mate will continue to live on, refocusing more as a leisure carrier flying to destinations such as Bali, Kuta and Honolulu, whilst Garrayura becomes a flag carrier representative of all Australians.