BarangarooPrint Page

The sculptured bust commemorates the Aboriginal woman, Barangaroo, who with her husband Bennelong, were leaders of the Eora people, and mediators between their people and the British in the late 18th and early 19th century.

Barangaroo was the second wife of Bennelong, who was interlocutor between the Aboriginal people and the early British colonists in New Sputh Wales. Barangaroo was a member of theCammeraygal clan. While Bennelong spent considerable time in the British settlement in Sydney, Barangaroo maintained her way of life with her people.

She had two children prior to being Bennelong's wife, both of whom died. She had a baby girl, Dilboong, while she was Bennelong's wife. The baby only survived for a few months. Barangaroo died in 1791 and was buried in Governor Phillip`s garden, in the area of the present day Circular Quay.

Bronze statues of Aboriginal leaders Bennelong and Barangaroo have been unveiled in Sydney. The busts, which frame the door at St Patrick’s Catholic Church in The Rocks, were unveiled by NSW Governor Margaret Beazley who urged Australians to gain a greater understanding of their achievements. 

Husband and wife and leaders of the Eora people, Bennelong and Barangaroo were communicators and mediators between their people and the British in the late 18th and early 19th century. 

Ms Beazley said: "If you haven't already done it, can I say embrace it [the history and culture] because there is a sacredness in the Aboriginal culture of which we have been deficient in our understanding over the years."
SBS News, 12 December 2021.

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