A history of the Aboriginal People of the Central Coast of New South Wales to 1874

In contrast to the large amount of research published on the Aboriginal history of early Sydney, the Aboriginal history of the Central Coast just to the north has received little scholarly attention. Possible perceptions that the region is and was of little importance, or that relevant documentation is lacking, are not supported by the evidence. Examination of a wide variety of recent botanical, geological and archaeological findings reveals that the Central Coast held a significant place in the Aboriginal world, possibly eclipsing that of Sydney, and that it provided an environment with abundant resources in which Aboriginal people flourished. Further, analysis of the large number of newspaper reports, government documents and settler reminiscences from the colonial period which make reference to the traditional Aboriginal owners of the region, now known as the Central Coast Darkinjung, allows a well-informed account of their recent history. These various sources show that the initially numerous Darkinjung people were almost certainly decimated by the waves of disease which followed the arrival of the British in 1788, and that the spirit of those who survived was then all but broken by the capture, trial and incarceration of key leaders in a unique, allegedly humanitarian experiment overseen by Governor Sir Richard Bourke in the 1830s. Although a few of those imprisoned eventually returned home, disease, exposure and despair led to the supposed extinction of the Aboriginal people of the Central Coast in 1874. However, several women had survived and produced children so that the Central Coast Darkinjung continue to the present day. This thesis fills a gap in the story of the colonisation of Australia, acknowledges the role of the Central Coast as pivotal in Aboriginal economy and spirituality, and creates a much-needed narrative framework for further, more specific research on the region’s Aboriginal history.