Turrbal

Tur-uh-bul

Gurumba bigi

Good day

Goo-room-bah bee-gee

Traditional custodians of the land and waterways around the Brisbane River and Moreton Bay region, including Meanjin (Brisbane).

Turrbal country
Language

Words to know

Greeting / Good DayGalang ngurvindhauGull-ahng ngur-voon-dow
place shaped like a spike; spike place (Brisbane)MeanjinMEE-an-jin
HandMarraMah-rah
EyeMillMill
EarBinungBin-ung
FootDinungDin-nung
About the Turrbal People

The Turrbal people Turrbal people are the Traditional Owners of much of the area now known as Brisbane (Meanjin), with strong cultural, spiritual and economic connections to the Brisbane River and surrounding lands. Their country includes parts of the northern and central Brisbane region, extending along the river and bay, and they maintain deep responsibilities for caring for Country, continuing language and cultural practices, and maintaining stories and songlines associated with Meanjin and the wider river system.

Alternative Spellings
TurubulTurrubalTurrabulToorbalTarabulTurrubulTerabulTorbulTuribulTuraubulTurrbulTurbulChurraboolJageraTurrbal
Notable dates in

Turrbal History

1st January 1825

British settlement established at Meanjin (Brisbane) on Turrbal and Yuggera Country

Establishment of the British penal settlement at Meanjin (Brisbane) in 1825 on Turrbal and Yuggera Country, marking the beginning of rapid colonisation, conflict and displacement for local Aboriginal peoples.

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Frontier violence and near-genocide of Turrbal people around Brisbane

By the 1860s historical records described the Turrbal Tribe as being on the verge of extinction due to massacres, displacement and restrictive laws, with only a small number of survivors forced to the fringes of Brisbane.

Discover Turrbal Country

Places to go

Turrbal Resources

Made with love in Meanjin

Always will be is a privately run, Aboriginal owned and led project that aims to improve the connection people feel to country and the understanding people have about Aboriginal and Torres Strait cultures, history and people.