Wallumettagal Tribe

Macquarie Centre sits on Wallumettagal (or Wallumedegal) Country of the Eora Nation. Whilst now known as Ryde, Aboriginal people have lived in this area for thousands of years with the traditional owners being the Wallumettagal tribe.

Derived from wallumai, meaning snapper fish, combined with matta, a word used to describe a water place, they were a fishing clan whose territory followed the north bank of the Parramatta River – a rich environment of river flats, creeks and mangrove swamps.

The Wallumatta Nature Reserve, located near Ryde protects one of the few remnant bushlands that was once typical of the area and was named in honor of the area’s native inhabitants.

Source: Wallumedegal : An Aboriginal History of Ryde, written by Keith Vincent Smith