Traditional Owners
British history books say Captain Cook "discovered" Australia in 1770. However, indiginous people have been living heere for over 40,000 years.
Captain Cook observed groups of indiginous people around Botany Bay, Long Bay and Coogee. When the French expedition led by Captain La Perousee anchored in Botany Bay in 1788, the local people were repelled to a camping place at Long Bay. They also established a subsidiary camp in the caves of Little Bay.
When the First Fleet of British convicts and their guards arrived at Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour) in 1788 there were approximately 1,500 indigenous people living in the area that is now occuppied by Maroubra and the other Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. Althought they did not have the same concept of "ownership" that we have in our legal system today, they had a deep sense of belonging, and of the land being part of their spiritual life. To show our respect, we refer to these people and their descendants as the "Traditional Owners"
Maroubra bay was populated by the Muru-ora-dial people. Along with the other groups or clans in the Eastern Suburbs area, they spoke a language called Darug (Dharug). They referred to themselves collectively as the Eora people. In Darug the word "eora" simply means "here" or "from this place". At one time there were were hundreds of different indiginous language groups accross Australia. Most have been been lost through non-use.
The diet of the Mura-ora-dial people was based on seafood. To catch fish, the men used multi-pronged spears. The women used hooks and lines. Both fished from canoes made of bark. Women also gathered shellfish and plant foods such as fern roots and native figs.
The rock engravings and paintings that still remain from this era show that the people had a rich artistic life. Common subjects along the coast were whales, sharks and fish.
During the early years of colonial expansion the aboriginal people continued to move in and around the area following their own way of life, largely independent of the white settlers. However, by the late 1880s the spread of urbal development made it impossible for the traditional way of life to continue.
By the mid 19th century the Mura-ora-dial culture had ceased to exist. The people had either died out or dispersed elsewhere. Some may have moved inland in search of food and shelter. Many died from smallpox and other diseases contracted from the early explorers and settlers. Others were killed in confrontations with the settlers.
The early settlers recognised the Aboriginal people's ability to live off the land. As late as the 1930s (especially during the Great Depression) both peoples camped together around Sydney, including at Happy Valley in La Perouse.
For more information see:
Randwick City Council > About Randwick > Indigenous History of Randwick
Waverly Library > Local Studies> Historical > Aboriginal History