Today the word ‘Wurundjeri’ refers to the five traditional Woi-Wurrung clans and is the name given to the Traditional Owner Registered Aboriginal Party, sanctioned by the Aboriginal Heritage Council (2007) to control land and cultural heritage issues in their designated area of Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation.

The Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung people are just one of an estimated 500 – 700 Aboriginal culltural-linguistic groups that existed prior to European settlement. Each language group had its own system of government, cultural practices and version of religious stories of the creation of their Country. All clan members knew their land in great detail, the way in which it was created, and the best times to visit each area according to the weather and availability of food.

The Wurundjeri spent the summer months along the banks of the Yarra where there was abundant food, animals to hunt and fish to be trapped. During the winter months they moved to higher ground on the fringes of the Dandenongs or Plenty Ranges for more shelter.

In this part of Boroondara, the creeks were intermittent, which mitigated against more permanent settlement. Large clan celebrations and corroborees took place on the high land now occupied by Beckett Park or adjoining the fertile Bolin Swamp, an anabranch of the Yarra River near present-day Bullen Road.

Cultural places in Boroondara

“There are 10 Aboriginal archaeological sites within Boroondara and two Aboriginal historic places, which are registered with the Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Council. The 10 archaeological sites are scarred trees, all but one of which is located within parks or reserves adjacent to the Yarra River. One toe-hold tree is located in Boroondara, and is a less common type of cultural scarring, which occurred when toe holds were cut into the tree to make them easier to climb when hunting for food such as possums or gathering eggs and other bush foods. Therefore, the tree is a relatively unique site type within the municipality. The locations of the sites are confidential so they can be properly preserved and protected.” – Boroondara Reconciliation Strategy, 2022-2026.

In addition to these sites, there are five cultural places in Boroondara which are significant to local Aboriginal history.

For further information see Boroondara Reconciliation Strategy 2022-2026: https://www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/media/73446/download?inline

For further information regarding Wurundjeri cultural heritage contact
https://www.wurundjeri.com.au/
https://www.wurundjeri.com.au/our-story/ancestors-past/
https://www.wurundjeri.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/20210205-Bulleen-Banyule-Flats-Overview-Report-Low-Rez.pdf
https://koorieheritagetrust.com.au/
https://aiatsis.gov.au

Suggested references for further reading:
‘Mapping the Past: An Atlas of Victorian Clans 1835-1904’, Aboriginal History, 1984, vol. 8, pt 2, pp. 100-131.
Aboriginal Melbourne: The Lost Land of the Kulin People by Gary Presland
Aboriginal Victorians. A History since 1800 by Richard Broome
Aborigines in Colonial Victoria, 1835-86 by Michael F Christie
An Appreciation of Difference – WEH Stanner and Aboriginal Australia – Edited by Melinda Hinkson & Jeremy Beckett
Conflict, Adaptation, Transformation – Richard Broome And The Practice Of Aboriginal History – edited by Ben Silverstein
First People by Gary Presland
The Wentworth Lectures – Honouring fifty years of Australian Indigenous studies – Edited by Robert Tonkinson