Awabakal

The Awabakal people The Awabakal people are the Traditional Owners of the land and waters around what is now Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, and the surrounding Hunter region in New South Wales. Their country extends along the coastline and includes the shores of Awabakal (Lake Macquarie) — one of the largest coastal saltwater lakes in the southern hemisphere — from which their name derives. The lake and its network of creeks, wetlands, and coastal environments sustained Awabakal families for tens of thousands of years. Fish, shellfish, waterbirds, and plant foods were abundant along the shoreline and in the surrounding bushland. The coal river (Hunter River) and its estuary were important pathways and gathering places. Awabakal people maintained close cultural and kinship ties with neighbouring groups including the Worimi to the north and the Darkinyung to the south. The Awabakal language was one of the first Aboriginal languages to be systematically documented, recorded by missionary Lancelot Threlkeld and Awabakal leader Birabahn in the 1820s–30s. This early record has been invaluable for language revival. Today, the Awabakal people maintain their cultural heritage through organisations including the Awabakal Local Aboriginal Land Council and the Miromaa Aboriginal Language and Technology Centre, which leads language revitalisation work.