Bidjigal people are an Aboriginal Australian people whose traditional lands are modern-day western, north-western, south-eastern, and southern Sydney, in New South Wales, Australia.
| FactSnippet No. 2,506,935 |
15 Facts About Bidjigal
2.
Bidjigal clan were the first Indigenous Australians to encounter the First Fleet.
| FactSnippet No. 2,506,936 |
3.
Bidjigal are sometimes said to be a clan of the Dharug people, and sometimes a clan of the Eora people.
| FactSnippet No. 2,506,937 |
4.
Bidjigal population was an estimated 500 people at the time of the British arrival, making them one of the most densely populated areas prior to colonisation.
| FactSnippet No. 2,506,938 |
5.
Bidjigal people were the first to encounter Captain Cook and the First Fleet.
| FactSnippet No. 2,506,939 |
7.
Bidjigal Reserve is a 300 hectare corridor of protected public bushland along Darling Mills Creek, mostly lying within The Hills Shire.
| FactSnippet No. 2,506,941 |
8.
The Bidjigal clan have inhabited the area for at least 40 000 years.
| FactSnippet No. 2,506,942 |
9.
In 1804 3,800 the Bidjigal reserve was included in 3,800 acres of land set aside by the Governor King as the Baulkham Hills Common, which was then given in 1818 to private individuals as land grants.
| FactSnippet No. 2,506,943 |
10.
Bidjigal clan were part of a conflict between Aboriginal elders and the Federal Government regarding the construction of the Sydney light rail following the discovery of Indigenous artefacts on the construction site.
| FactSnippet No. 2,506,944 |
11.
Bidjigal elders claimed that paid consultants were chosen over the traditional owners in consultation, and that the consultants had a vested interest in the construction going ahead.
| FactSnippet No. 2,506,945 |
12.
Name of the Bidjigal is today remembered by the name of the 186-hectare Bidjigal Reserve, in Baulkham Hills, Castle Hill, Carlingford, North Rocks and Northmead to the north-west of Sydney.
| FactSnippet No. 2,506,946 |
13.
The Bidjigal Reserve was known as Excelsior Park until 2004, when it was dedicated to preserve Aboriginal cultural heritage, local flora and fauna and for public recreation.
| FactSnippet No. 2,506,947 |
14.
Bidjigal was the first Aboriginal man to appear on commercial TV and became an international recording artist.
| FactSnippet No. 2,506,948 |
15.
Bidjigal is a notable shell worker, with her art featured in several museums throughout Australia.
| FactSnippet No. 2,506,949 |