Bendigo

The Dja Dja Wurrung people The Dja Dja Wurrung people, also known as Jaara (meaning "people" in their language), are the Traditional Owners of a vast area of central Victoria spanning over 16,000 square kilometres. Their country embraces the Upper Loddon and Avoca rivers, extending from Bendigo and Castlemaine west to St Arnaud. The name "Dja Dja Wurrung" translates approximately as "the yes-language," derived from "djadja" (their word for yes) and "wurrung" (mouth/language), distinguishing them from neighbouring language groups. As one of the five nations of the Kulin alliance in central and western Victoria, the Dja Dja Wurrung share cultural connections with the Wurundjeri, Boon Wurrung, Wathaurong, and Taungurung peoples. Their traditional lands encompass the goldfields region, box-ironbark forests, granite country, and the grassy woodlands of the volcanic plains. The landscape holds ceremony sites, places of lore and healing, Dreaming stories, and the memories of ancestors stretching back tens of thousands of years. In 2013, the historic Dja Dja Wurrung Recognition and Settlement Agreement formally recognised them as Traditional Owners, with six parks transferred on Aboriginal Title. Today, the Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation (trading as DJAARA) leads cultural heritage management, language revitalisation, and caring for country across their traditional lands.