Sydney Harbour’s largest island to be returned to Indigenous ownership
The National Parks and Wildlife Service is calling for expressions of interest to join a committee making recommendations about the transfer of Me-Mel to Aboriginal ownership.
The island was once inhabited by Bennelong and Barangaroo of the Eora Nation. Source: SBS / David Finnegan/DPE
Aboriginal Affairs Minister Ben Franklin said the Me-Mel Transfer Committee includes Aboriginal people and representatives of NSW government agencies.
“Me-Mel is an opportunity for truth telling, and it’s about recognising the past and unlocking the future,’ she said.
The island marks the start of an EORA songline – it’s the creation site for Sydney Harbour. Source: SBS / David Finnegan/DPE
The island is listed on the NSW State Heritage Register and has a range of important Aboriginal, historical and natural values including more than 30 buildings and other structures from the 1830s to 1960s.
Colonial records document Wangal man Bennelong who said Me-mel or Goat Island was his inheritance, handed down to him by his father, who was born on the island.
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The NPWS will continue to manage Me-Mel until the transfer is finalised and will maintain public access to the island.
