 The local Aboriginal name for the mountain is ""Wollumbin""; meaning, "cloud-catcher", or alternatively "fighting chief of the mountains".The mountain's English name was bestowed on it by Lieutenant James Cook in May 1770, as his expedition in command of the "Endeavour" passed it by on their route northwards along the eastern coastline of Australia.The designation "Mount Warning" was meant to indicate the danger of the offshore reefs they encountered.