The exact year of birth for senior woman of the Sydney coast Cora Gooseberry is not known but was sometime in the 1770s. She was usually referred to as Queen Gooseberry or just Gooseberry. She lived her early years before the arrival of Europeans in Sydney and was a girl or young woman when the First Fleet arrived.

Her place of birth isn’t documented as it was prior to settlement, but she was referred to on her breastplate as a ‘Queen of Sydney and Botany’ and on another as ‘Queen from Sydney to South Head’. She lived most of her life within this area and was the cousin of William Warrell (1790s-1863), who was strongly associated with Coastal Sydney, so this was most likely where she was ‘from’.

Cora was recognised by her own people and by colonial Sydneysiders as a senior woman of Coastal Sydney. Her knowledge on the significance of traditional rock engravings and sacred sites speaks to the long-standing connection Aboriginal people hold to this Country and the land.

At times, colonists would seek guidance and understanding from Cora on the meaning and teachings of these places for the Aboriginal people, to help identify their purpose prior to first contact.

She was one of the wives of well-known Broken Bay man Bungaree (c1775-1830) and so she sometimes lived in camps on the northern side of the harbour and would have witnessed Sydney grow from a small settlement into a booming port town and city.

Although we know more about her life after Bungaree’s passing, her senior standing among her people and strong relationships built with colonial Sydneysiders is a testament to her knowledge and resilience as a strong leader within the community who was born into a rich culture bursting with traditions and customs to then witness and adapt to a new way of living after the European invasion.

Courtesy the Gujaga Foundation, State Library of New South Wales and the South Australian Museum.