Yarramundi

Who was Yarramundi?

Yarramundi was an Indigenous Australian called by Europeans “the chief of the Richmond Tribe” or “Tribes”. He was a member of the Boorooberongal clan of the Darug people, and was a garadyi or “doctor”.

Yarramundi and his father Gombeeree met Governor Arthur Phillip on April 14, 1791, and this meeting is described by Watkin Tench in his A Complete Account of the Settlement at Port Jackson, published in 1793. Yarramundi's daughter, Maria was the first Aboriginal child to be placed in the Native Institute at Parramatta, where she won the Yearly state Examinations ahead of 100 white children.

About 1805, she married convict Robert Lock, which was the first officially sanctioned marriage between an Aboriginal and a non-Aboriginal person in Australia. Yarramundi's son, Colbee, was the first Aboriginal person to receive a land grant. Following Colebee's death, Maria was granted his land at Blacktown and lived there until her death in 1878. She was buried in Prospect cemetery. At the time of her death, she held 60 acres of land at Blacktown and 40 acres at Liverpool. Liverpool council chamber is built on part of this grant.

Yarramundi's daughters descendents still live in the area. Notably Bundeluk is working as an educator, actor, artist, public speaker and indigenous adviser / tour guide at Hazelbrook in the Blue Mountains of Australia.