Aboriginal Maribyrnong
A connection lasting more than 40,000 years
Aboriginal people have a deep and continuous connection to the place now called Victoria. Aboriginal people have lived in the Maribyrnong River valley for at least 40,000 years and probably far longer.
Maribyrnong is an anglicised version of the Aboriginal term ‘Mirring-gnay-bir-nong’, which translates as 'I can hear a ringtail possum'.
European settlement in Maribyrnong in the 1830s had a massive impact on Aboriginal people – decimating communities, displacing families and disrupting lives. And yet in spite of this, Aboriginal culture remains a dynamic force in contemporary society, contributing to the diverse and thriving inner west.