Understanding Country
An insight into Strathfield’s Aboriginal history: ‘Strathfield: Enduring stories of Wanne’
Strathfield Council collaborated with Murawin to deliver a comprehensive understanding of Country for the Strathfield Local Government Area (LGA). Murawin prepared a report for Council titled ‘Strathfield: Enduring stories of Wanne’ which can be viewed here(PDF, 10MB). The report may be referred to in order to gain a holistic understanding of Strathfield’s Aboriginal history and continuing Aboriginal culture.
The Strathfield LGA is located on the lands of the Wangal people, who are part of the broader Eora nation. The Wangal people are therefore a clan of the Eora nation, who’s territory is coastal and extends roughly from present-day Sydney Harbour, northward to present-day Pittwater, southward to present-day Botany Bay and Georges River, and westward to the area around present-day Parramatta. The Wangal people as part of the Eora nation boarder the Tharawal nation to the south, the Gundungurra nation to the south-west, the Dharug nation to the west, and the Darkinjung nation to the north. This is the physical context in which present-day Strathfield sits.
Murawin state in Strathfield: Enduring stories of Wanne that “It’s important to understand that the place we now call Strathfield was not always known by the name of Strathfield, nor was it defined by Council’s local government area boundaries. In order to understand the cultural landscape and historical context of Strathfield, we need to first explore the broader historical landscape of the region” (Murawin, 2025, p.10). This means that understanding Country is about extending beyond the present-day boundaries of Strathfield Council, as modern lines are arbitrary when considering Country. As stated by Murawin, “Shortly after the arrival of the British, a devastating smallpox epidemic swept through and decimated the Eora peoples. Survivors are few, but Aboriginal people today continue to celebrate that survival. This tragic part of the story has contributed to Strathfield Council’s lack of knowledge about its Aboriginal and Wangal cultural history and heritage” (Murawin, 2025, p10.). The report by Murawin has now restored this knowledge and Council will continue to understand and celebrate Country in Strathfield.