Aboriginal Interpretation

” We acknowledge the Noongar people and we acknowledge the Country that the whole Bibbulmun Track traverses, always was always will be Noongar Country. We acknowledge their families to the North, the East and the South and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and sky. We pay our respects to their ancestors and Elders past, present and emerging.”

The First Nations people of the southwest call themselves Noongar, sometimes spelt Nyoongar or Nyungar, a local word meaning ‘man’. Their traditional country lies in the southwest corner of Western Australia, west of a line running from Jurien to the east of Merredin and south to Esperance on the south coast.

The Noongar were divided into about 14 different groups (socially and linguistically) each of which inhabited a specific tract of country. Each local group had access to a selection of different ecological habitats in accordance with a long tradition of territorial occupation. The Bibbulmun (also spelt Bibulman, Piblemen and others) was one of the groups. Their country was generally recognised to extend from the Pemberton area to Broke Inlet, though boundaries are somewhat indistinct.

We encourage those on the Track to understand and acknowledge the land which has been or will be passed through. Please see the resources below which provides an overview of Noongar Country and specific Noongar Country/ Tindale boundaries for each campsite along the Bibbulmun Track. 

BT Map of Track and Language Groups

BT Campsites v Noongar Country list

We acknowledge the following organisations as the primary sources of the information:
SWALSC – South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council.
SERCUL – South East Regional Centre for Urban Landcare
AIATSIS – The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies

Please note the information provided is based on the information available. This information may not be universally agreed upon and is not definitive.