Tindale (1974:201-202) says that Kattang E67 is the language of Worimi, while Walsh (1981) treats Warimi (E2) as a dialect of Gadang E67.
Dixon (2002:xxxiv) also treats Warimi (E2) as a dialect of Gadjang (Kattang) E67.
Wafer and Lissarrague's study (2008:167-169) concludes that people who inhabited around Port Stephens called themselves Warrimay (E2) and they spoke their own dialect which is related to Gadhang E67. They treat Gadhang (Taree dialect) E67, Warrimay E2, Guringay E95 and Birrbay E3 as dialects of one language, which they call 'Lower North Coast Language'.
Lissarrague (in consultation with the communities) uses the word Gathang E67 as the name of the language spoken by Birrbay E3, Guringay E95 and Warrimay (E2) peoples (2010:1).
Hunter River to Forster near Cape Hawke along coast; at Port Stephens; inland to near Gresford; about Glendon Brook, Dungog, head of Myall Creek and south to Maitland (Tindale 1974).
.. the area around the southern shore of Port Stephens, perhaps extending west towards Maitland (Wafer and Lissarrague 2008:169).
Maitland (Branch 1887:349, in Lissarrague 2010:10).
The Worimi used to inhabit the Hunter River flats up to about the site of Maitland, and the land lying between the ocean on the one side, the Lower Hunter from its mouth to Maitland on the other, and south of a line drawn roughly from Maitland through Stroud to Tea Gardens and the ocean (Elkin 1932: 359, in Lissarrague 2010: 11).
Further investigations have clearly shown that the Gummipingal, Yeerung-gal, and Birroong-Gal were but hordes of the Kattang-speaking tribe called Worimi ... the Maiangal lived along the sea-shore south of Port Stephens, and westward as far as Teleghery Creek; that the Garuagal occupied country adjoining Teleghery Creek and along the lower Hunter, and their territory joined that of the Buraigal, who lived on the right bank of Karuah up to Stroud. The northern side of Port Stephens and left bank of the Karuah was occupied by the Gamipingal. All four were hordes of the Worimi (Enright 1932a: 75, in Lissarrague 2010:11).
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Gathang Language Group via Muurrbay ALCC https://muurrbay.org.au/
Speaker numbers were measured differently across the censuses and various other sources listed in AUSTLANG. You are encouraged to refer to the sources.
Speaker numbers for ‘NILS 2004’ and ‘2005 estimate’ come from 'Table F.3: Numbers of speakers of Australian Indigenous languages (various surveys)' in 'Appendix F NILS endangerment and absolute number results' in McConvell, Marmion and McNicol 2005, pages 198-230 (PDF, 2.5MB).
