A huge traditional Aboriginal campsite existed in the dunes at the back of Bondi Beach for thousands of years. Prior to developments in the early twentieth century, the area had creeks and lagoons which made for fertile hunting and gathering grounds for the Aboriginal people who camped there. Sand eventually blew over the top of the campsite but in 1900 a huge storm blew the sand away and uncovered the site again. 

This Bondi campsite, noteworthy for its large size and containing many thousands of stone tools, was part of a network of camps used by Aboriginal people belonging to a broader cultural group which stretched from Sydney Harbour down to the Shoalhaven. This cultural group included Aboriginal people such as Cora Gooseberry, who lived along the southern shore of the harbour; Thomas Tamara, who ranged between Coastal Sydney and the Illawarra; Mahroot, who remained at Botany; and the Goggey family, who lived along the Georges River.

The Aboriginal people of Coastal Sydney frequently travelled, by foot or by boat, from camp to camp within this cultural area. This movement was largely driven by access to resources caused by seasonal changes, as well as for ceremonial purposes. This cultural movement was demonstrated most clearly by Thomas Tamara, who was recorded fishing his way down the coast from Sydney to the Illawarra and back in 1846. Colonists in Sydney with whom he had developed a relationship with - such as Isaac Nichols - were concerned that he had blown out to sea when they didn’t see him for a while. However, Thomas Tamara was behaving in the same way his ancestors had for thousands of years - moving between Coastal Sydney and the Illawarra to gather resources in the form of fish. This practice reduced dependency on once particular area and ensured that fishing, hunting and the gathering of other resources was sustainable.

The European concept of living in one small place for the entirety of ones life was uncommon for the Aboriginal people of Coastal Sydney, and the lack of understanding of the broader cultural structure in which people such as Thomas Tamara lived was the cause of Isaac Nicoll’s misplaced concerns.

Courtesy the Gujaga Foundation, images courtesy the Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales