Aboriginal Culture
For thousands of years, many Aboriginal peoples have relied on the river's abundance. In South Australia, the Ngarrindjeri and Nganguraku people have their traditional homelands along the Murray and the Coorong, and maintain an intimate and detailed knowledge of the land, the wildlife, seasons and climate. This vast body of knowledge continues to be passed from generation to generation.
These remarkable people hunted and traded along the river, in canoes cut and crafted from the red river gums that line the river's edge. Rock art and scarred canoe trees still remain along the length of the Murray River, fascinating reminders of a culture in perfect harmony with the land and its creatures.
In the Ngarrindjeri Dreaming, Ngurunderi travelled downstream in a bark canoe, in search of his two wives who had run away from him. A giant cod-fish (Pondi) swam ahead of Ngurunderi, widening the stream with sweeps of its tail. Ngurunderi chased the fish, trying to spear it from his canoe. The sweeps and loops of the chase created the features of the Murray River.
The stories of the Ngarrindjeri - including the Dreaming of the creation of the river - are told at Pomberuk Aboriginal Cultural Centre in Murray Bridge.Members of the Nganguraku people share their stories and culture at Ngaut Ngaut Aboriginal Site, near Nildottie.
Visit the birthplace of the Black Duck Dreaming, join guided tours through the Ngaut Ngaut archeological sites and climb the boardwalk as it meanders up the majestic cliffs of a seabed laid down generations ago. Follow the path where bare feet trod in ancient times and marvel as the story of rock art and culture older than antiquity unfolds before you.
This experience will challenge your perceptions of Aboriginal culture and leave you in awe of the resourcefulness of Australia's Aboriginal people. In the 19th century the river opened the region to settlers, trade and communication, and provided irrigation for the agricultural industries that soon flourished. Shared Countries
Aboriginal language groups do not have defined borders - their country blends into neutral zones referred to by various Aboriginal people as shared country. The Nganguraku language groups of the Murraylands share their western boundary with the Peramangk language groups of the Adelaide Hills regions and the southern boundaries are shared with the Ngarrindjeri language groups of the Coorong and Lakes region.
Other language groups such as the Ngarkat and Potauwudj people occupy the northern and southern hinterland of the Murraylands region sharing their country with the Ngarrindjeri language group.
