Acknowledgement of Country

Ballina Byron Gateway Airport acknowledges that we are here on the land of the Bundjalung people. The Bundjalung are the traditional owners of this land and are part of the oldest surviving continuous culture in the world.

Bundjalung people

It is well understood that prior to European settlement of the Ballina Shire area the Bundjalung people were its custodians, having cared for and lived off the land for thousands of years. The many natural features and landforms that make up the Ballina Shire landscape were understood by the Bundjalung people to be the creation of their Dreamtime ancestors.

Bundjalung people tell of how, before the coming of white man, they lived in harmony with the natural environment. Like other Indigenous culture, the Bundjalung people suggest they belong to the land and the land to them. The land provided a wide variety of foods including fish, crustaceans, mammals, birds, reptiles vegetables and fruits. Shelters were made of timber, bark, branches and palms. Fire was used to cook food and timber, rock and fibres used to make tools and utensils with which to hunt, gather and prepare food. Individuals were part of a complex kin and tribal grouping that frequently moved across different parts of the land in search of food and in response to seasonal change and for ceremony. Bundjalung peoples' culture and traditions evolved over many thousands of years with the passing down of knowledge from previous generations and adapting to environmental change.

For more local Aboriginal and Cultural information visit the Ballina Shire Council website.