The Original Custodians of the Land: the Aboriginal People

Bungonia lies on the Eastern edge of the Southern Tablelands, adjacent to the rugged Shoalhaven River Gorge area.

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Prior to, and during the early days of European settlement, the area’s resources
were exploited by The Aboriginal Peoples. It is probable that the Bungonia ridge tops were used by various groups in movement pathways (often called Songlines), between the Lowlands and the Highlands. 

These pathways would have been used in all directions because of the seasonal availability of food, as well as for the cultural, trading and artistic interaction of coastal and Tableland Aboriginal groups. These groups all knew the best ways to travel and survive throughout these lands.

Extra Research Ideas And Resources

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Earliest known Aboriginal occupation around Bungonia

This following extract from the LGA Aboriginal Heritage Study (2012) conducted by the Australian Museum Business Services places Aboriginal settlements as long ago as 21,000 years.

Read the full report and cite the original references shown below in this PDF download available from Goulburn Shire Council.

Map; Places of Aboriginal significance around Bungonia, NSWClick to enlarge the map of areas of known Aboriginal significance in the Goulburn Mulwaree area.

"Radiocarbon dates obtained from charcoal in occupation deposits have established that Aboriginal people have lived in this region for at least 21,000 years.

Late Pleistocene occupation sites have also been identified to the east of the study area in what is now Morton National Park, at Bulee Brook 2 (18,810 ± 160 years Before Present (BP) and and Bob’s Cave (10,850 ± 300 BP) .

The climate during the Last Glacial Maximum (around 20,000 years ago) was cooler and drier than the present day, and average temperatures would have been up to 6 degrees Celsius lower. However, the majority of archaeologically excavated sites in the region date to within the last 3,000 to 5,000 years, when the local climate and environment would have approached modern conditions .

These include the open camp site of Nardoo on the eastern side of Lake George (760 ± 110 BP , and Sassafras; 1 rock shelter in Morton National Park (3770 ±150 BP."

Aboriginal use of the Bungonia State Recreation Area

The Bungonia State Recreation Area lies in the area of the Ngunawal tribal group, adjacent to the Northwestern corner of the Wandanian tribal territory, and the Southern boundary of the Gandangara tribal group. However many other groups also visited or used the area. The Bungonia Gorge is considered to be particularly sacred.

Early contact with Europeans by Aborigines

There are multiple references to contact events between Aboriginal people and the early European settlers in the Bungonia area.

The Old Marulan Document (Old Marulen 2007, Volume 2) Archeological Investigations references work by Jim Smith in his book "Aborigines of the Goulburn district" 

He writes: another community that often visited and stayed in the Bungonia area were the Parramarago. The estimate for the Parramarago population in 1882 and 1883 was 25 people but this increased slightly in 1835.

The Old Marulen Document (Volume 2) also has some excellent detail on Bungonia history and references Smith extensively. 

For example, quoting Exploration Beyond the Upper Nepean  in 1798 by RH Cambage it states:

The Parramarago was the closest known Aboriginal group to Marulan.

Parramarago [or Parramaragoo] was also a locality name used for the area later called Inverary, and eventually Bungonia. It was the name of James Style's early-established run, which he later changed to Reevesdale

Much later, John Sceales recorded in his diary on 4th May 1839 that, “Blacks of the Mulwara (sic) tribe all arrived today under the two chiefs, Old and young Thonguiry-there are about twenty of them encamped close to the house.”

The house referred to by Sceales is the house of John George Lynch who held allotments 12-15, section 3, Village of Bungonia. The  property is now called “MIZPAH”. The stone building still standing is believed to be the remains of his house.