The Australian willy-willy or whirly-whirly is thought to derive from Yindjibarndi or a neighboring aboriginal language.
In aboriginal myths willy willies represent spirit forms. They are often quite scary spirits and parents may warn the children that if they misbehave a spirit will emerge from the spinning vortex of dirt and chastise them. There is a story of the origin of the Brolga where a bad spirit descends from the sky and captures the young being and abducts her by taking the form of a willy-willy.