Rutherglen

The Yorta Yorta people come from a unique stretch of forest-wetlands that are located in what is now known as the central Murray – Goulburn region. Their lifestyle and culture were based on hunting, fishing and collecting food from the variety of food sources provided by the ancestral lands.

Being river people, time was occupied by fishing, as the majority of food that was provided came from the rich network of rivers, lagoons, creeks and wetlands, which are still regarded as the life source and the spirit of the Yorta Yorta nation. The now irregular floods that occur in this region are regarded by Yorta Yorta people as necessary for the replenishment of the natural food sources and for the survival of the forest-wetlands for the enjoyment of future generations.

The survival of the ancestral lands is equally important for the continuity of the Yorta Yorta people's timeless connection with what is theirs by inherent right and with what they continue to assert 'always was and always will be Yorta Yorta land’ — nothing will ever change that reality for the Yorta Yorta.