History of the Bundjalung facts for kids

Goanna Headland at Evans Head, New South Wales, Australia. (2009).

The ancestors of the Bundjalung Nation first arrived on the North Coast of NSW thousands of years ago. This happened at least 12,000 years ago.

This important event is told in the Bundjalung people's traditional stories, known as the "The Three Brothers (Bundjalung Nation)" legend.

Goanna Headland meets the Sea.

Around 12,000 years ago, the ice caps melted, and sea levels rose. This covered some land off the east coast of Australia.

The old camping spots of the Bundjalung ancestors, used before the sea settled, are now under the ocean.

The Marriage Tree (Western Kurrajong Tree) at Evans Head, New South Wales, Australia. (2010).

In Bundjalung National Park, there is a Western Kurrajong tree that is over 360 years old. It is near an old Aboriginal campsite.

This tree is called "The Marriage Tree" by Bundjalung Aboriginals. It was a gift from the Wahlubal tribe during a wedding at Gummigurrah. Gummigurrah was a winter camping spot for the Bundjalung people.

The Endeavour replica in Cooktown harbour.

The coast near Evans Head was first mapped by Lieutenant James Cook of the United Kingdom on his ship, HMS Endeavour.

Lieutenant James Cook FRS RN (1775).

Lieutenant James Cook noted about 20 Bundjalung Arakwal Aboriginal people on what is now called 'Seven Mile Beach'. This beach is north of Lennox Head.

Caricature of 'Sir Joseph Banks' from his expedition to the South Seas.

Sir Joseph Banks also saw the same Bundjalung Arakwal people. He wrote that they did not even look at the ship.

He noted: "...not one was once observed to stop and look toward the ship; they pursued their way in all appearance entirely unmoved by the neighbourhood of so remarkable an object as a ship must necessarily be to people who have never seen one." This suggests they might have seen other ships before.

John Byron, by Joshua Reynolds, 1759

Lieutenant James Cook on the Endeavour named Cape Byron. He named it after Vice-Admiral John 'Foulweather Jack' Byron, who was a British navigator. Cook also named two small islands, Julian Rocks, after his nephew and niece.

Cook was the first European to write in his diary about seeing "... a remarkable sharp peaked Mountain lying inland..." from Cape Byron. Later, he named this mountain Mount Warning.

Mount Warning at sunset.

Mount Warning (Wulambiny Momoli) was named by Lieutenant James Cook. It was a warning to other sailors about dangerous reefs along the coast.

Cook did not know that the Bundjalung people called the mountain 'Wulambiny Momoli'. It was a very important sacred site for them, as their lives and beliefs were strongly connected to the land.

Portrait of 'Henry John Rous' with George Payne, by G. Thompson

Captain Henry John Rous anchored his ship, the HMS Rainbow, at Byron Bay. He was looking for a river that could be used by ships and a safe place to anchor. Rous found the mouth of the Richmond River while sailing along the coast.

The Duke of Richmond.

Captain Henry John Rous discovered the entrance to the Richmond River. He explored 32 kilometers up the river.

Captain Rous then named the river Richmond, after his brother's best friend, Charles Gordon-Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond.

Queen Victoria (1819–1901).

In 1839, Queen Victoria's laws stated that Aboriginal people were subjects of the Crown. This meant that if an Aboriginal person died violently because of a conflict with white men, an investigation should happen, just as if the person were European.

Walker Street shopping precinct in Casino.

Two settlers, Henry Clay and George Stapleton, traveled through the bush from Glen Innes to Tabulam. They bought cattle and moved their herds to the Richmond River. They named their large grazing area "Cassino" (now the town of Casino), after a town in Italy.

Before Europeans arrived, the Casino area was part of the Bundjalung lands. One report from 1840 mentioned a gathering of "five hundred or upwards" Aboriginal people. The Bundjalung people moved across a wide area. One of their yearly traditions was to go to the coast in winter when mullet fish were plentiful. People from inland areas traded black bean seeds for fish. These seeds are poisonous but can be eaten after careful preparation.

Tea Tree Oil (Melaleuca Oil)

European settlement began in the Richmond River area with Red Cedar cutters and farmers. The environment was challenging for early European settlers. High rainfall, humidity, injuries, and insect bites caused serious infections.

European medicines were scarce and not very effective. However, the Bundjalung people had a solution. They would crush tea tree leaves and put them on wounds and infections. This helped control infection and heal wounds quickly. Scientists later identified this unique tree as Melaleuca alternifolia.

Bundjalung people also used "tea trees" as traditional medicine. They would breathe in the oils from crushed leaves to treat coughs and colds. They also soaked tea tree leaves to make a drink for sore throats or skin problems. The 'Bungawalbyn Valley Basin' is known as the birthplace of the 'TEA TREE INDUSTRY'.

The Rainbow Train in Heritage Park in Lismore.

The European history of Lismore began around 1843. The first sheep farm in the Lismore area was on the north arm of the Richmond River. Captain Dumaresq started this farm around 1843. The sheep did not like the wet, sub-tropical climate, and many died.

In January 1845, William and Jane Wilson took over the farm and named it Lismore. They named it after a small island in Scotland. They built houses there, and the north arm of the Richmond River was later renamed Wilson River in their honor.

Welcome sign on the outskirts of Coraki.

The village of Coraki was started by William Yabsley.

In 1853–54, near the present-day East Ballina Golf Course, the Native Police killed at least 30–40 Bundjalung Nyangbal Aboriginal men, women, and children while they slept.

The Native Mounted Police believed that some Aboriginal people from north of the Tweed River had killed Europeans and fled south. The police rode out at 3 am to where 200 to 300 Bundjalung Nyangbal people were sleeping. The police surrounded the camp and opened fire. Many Bundjalung people were killed.

The European settlers in East Ballina were upset by this attack on friendly local people. They reported it to the NSW Government. However, the government took no action against those responsible and warned the settlers to "mind their own business." Because of this, there are no official records of these killings.

The Aboriginal survivors did not seek revenge. There are strong oral stories among the Bundjalung community about this massacre. These stories include people escaping, people being shot and buried in the forests, and some being driven off the cliff at Black Head. It is believed that some victims were never buried.

They faced sickness and starvation there. After four months, the survivors went to Nouméa and asked for help from the Government of New South Wales. The Premier, Sir Henry Parkes, arranged for them to come to Sydney. Many of them came to this area and built a successful settlement called "New Italy".

The Southern Cross at a RAAF base in 1943.

Sir Charles Edward Kingsford Smith and Charles Ulm were the first people to fly across the Pacific Ocean in an aircraft. They flew their plane, the "Southern Cross," from Oakland, California, to Brisbane, Queensland, stopping in Honolulu, Suva, and Ballina. They covered about 7,200 miles in 83 hours and 50 minutes of flying time, from 31 May to 9 June 1928.

Her Australian Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (2007).

Queen Elizabeth II visited Evans Head during her Royal visit to Australia.

Aboriginal people were stopped from raising their own children, moving freely, getting an education, earning fair wages, marrying without permission, eating in restaurants, entering a pub, swimming in a public pool, or having the right to vote.

Las Balsas raft – original sail design by Salvador Dali.

The 1973 Las Balsas expedition was the first (and only) time multiple rafts crossed the Pacific Ocean in recent history. It is the longest known raft journey ever.

The Las Balsas rafts were pulled into Ballina by fishing boats after their journey from Ecuador. They had planned to arrive in Mooloolaba, Queensland, but ocean currents pushed them off course. Their journey was almost twice as long as the 1947 Kon-Tiki expedition. It showed that people could have traveled across the Pacific in ancient times.

Goanna Headland at Evans Head, New South Wales, Australia. (2005).

A 16-hectare part of southern Goanna Headland at Evans Head became the first Aboriginal land grant in New South Wales.