Aboriginal people have an unbroken and ongoing connection with the City of Sydney. The original inhabitants of the Sydney city region are the Gadigal people. Despite the destructive impact of first contact, Gadigal culture survived. As the town of Sydney developed into a city, the Gadigal were joined by other Aboriginal people from elsewhere in New South Wales.

Glebe has long been a creative and educational hub for Aboriginal people, but it was also the site of two state-run institutions that were pivotal in the stolen generations.

Click here to read An extract from “Leichhardt: on the margins of the city” by Max Solling and Peter Reynolds, Allen and Unwin, Sydney, 1997.

For more information about sites in Sydney that have associations with Aboriginal history and culture, see the booklet produced by the City of Sydney, Barani/Barrabugu (Yesterday/Tomorrow), available from City of Sydney libraries or online at City of Sydney: Historical Walking Tours    

Tranby Co-operative College, Mansfield St, Glebe
Tranby Co-operative College, Mansfield St, Glebe

The booklet includes a Glebe walk covering the following sites associated with Aboriginal history and culture:

  • Lake Northam, Victoria Park
  • Macleay Museum and Freedom Ride, University of Sydney
  • Aboriginal and Islander Dance Theatre, St James Hall, 153 Bridge Road
  • Tranby, 13 Mansfield Street
  • Bidura, 357 Glebe Point Road
  • Royleston, 270 Glebe Point Road