Indigenous History

Aboriginal Australians had lived in the Sydney region for at least 30,000 years before Europeans set foot there. The traditional owners of Sydney Cove are the Cardigal people, whose territory extended from Port Jackson to Petersham. British settlers called them the 'Eora' because when asked where they came from, the locals replied 'Eora', meaning 'here' or 'from this place'.

At the time of European settlement, three main language groups - the Darug, Dharawal and Guringai - inhabited the area around Sydney. Their way of life was totally self sufficient and in harmony with the land. They fished and hunted in the waters and hinterlands, moving around according to the seasons, as they had done for millennia. They also developed a rich and complex culture, the heart of which was connection to the land.

Though Sydney's Aboriginal tribes were largely destroyed through colonisation, their legacy lives on. Metropolitan Sydney is home to some 5,000 ancient Aboriginal sites, including cave paintings and some of the world's finest rock carvings. Meanwhile, descendants of the Darug, Dharawal and Guringai continue to uphold the stories, knowledge and customs of their forebears, and to enrich today's Australia with its extraordinary heritage.