Of course, all of Australia is indigenous land, and this website acknowledges this fact.

I acknowledge the many Nations that hold connection with the mountains of South Eastern Australia and lutruwita/ Tasmania, and that sovereignty was never ceded. The high country of the South East exists within the traditional lands of the Dhudhuroa, Jaitmathang, Taungurung, Gunaikurnai, Wurundjeri, Ngarigo, Bidwell/Bidawal and other peoples.

In time I hope to be able to feature both information and interviews from and about local Indigenous communities.

Resources from Indigenous peoples

For details on indigenous languages in the Victorian Alps and surrounding areas, check here.

First nation aspirations for the high country. Mountain Journal (2021) magazine has brief outlines from:

  • Dhudhuroa
  • Gunaikurnai
  • Jaithmathang, and
  • Taungurung

About their aspirations for the High Country. Available here.

Voices of people of the Taungurung Clan.

Traditional Owners Reference Group (TORG). A report on the May 2010 gathering of the Alps TORG, held in Jindabyne.

Indigenous related stories and links on this website

Please check the Traditional Owner tag for all stories on the website. https://themountainjournal.com/tag/traditional-owners/

From early July 2023, the Avon Wilderness Park, Baw Baw National Park, Nooramunga Marine and Coastal Park and the Alpine National Park on Gunaikurnai Country will now be joint managed by the Gunaikurnai people via GLaWAC and Parks Victoria. 2023. https://themountainjournal.com/2023/07/04/gunaikurnai-to-jointly-manage-baw-baw-alpine-and-other-high-country-parks/

Jaithmathang Original Country elders are returning to the mountains to reconnect with their Yerto (meaning land/country high up). This story was produced by North East Catchment Management Authority and reproduced with their permission. Story here. 2021.

Taungurung people to jointly manage Buffalo and part of Alpine National Park. 2020.

A new (old) name for Mt Kosciuszko? 2019.

An article on the Gunaikurnai and Taungurung people’s negotiations around boundaries in the High Country

Article on Alpine Traditional Owners re-asserting their rights.

Mount Wills (VIC) – some reflections on ownership, connection to place and uncovering the past.

The Jaithmathangs are a range on the western side of the Bogong High Plains in Victoria, which were long known as the Niggerheads. They were renamed in 2009, after consultation with the Indigenous community. There is some information on the issues that came up around the re-naming here.