The Yuin people of the NSW South Coast have marked 20 years since the historic return of Biamanga and Gulaga National Parks, celebrating a landmark moment in Aboriginal land rights, cultural survival and justice.
Hundreds gathered at Tilba, near the foothills of Gulaga, during Reconciliation Week to honour two decades since the parks were handed back to traditional owners in 2006.
The land, which lies between Bega and Narooma, holds deep spiritual significance for the Yuin people. Gulaga is known as Mother Mountain, a sacred women’s place connected to creation, ceremony, childbirth and storytelling. Biamanga is a traditional men’s place, with important initiation sites.
Walbunja woman Aunty Roslyn Field said the handback represented “the return of what was always ours” and described the anniversary as a living reminder of identity, ancestry and resilience.
The parks are now jointly managed by Aboriginal boards of management and the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, a partnership that has continued for two decades.
Elders including Guboo Ted Thomas and Percy Mumbulla were remembered for leading the long campaign to have the parks returned to Yuin hands.
Yuin man Uncle Bunja Smith, chair of the Biamanga Board of Management, said the anniversary was a chance to pass knowledge to the next generation and ensure young people understand the importance of protecting Country, culture and story.
The handback of Biamanga and Gulaga remains one of only seven national park handbacks in New South Wales.
For the Yuin people, the anniversary was more than a commemoration. It was a statement that Country, culture and identity endure — and that the fight of past generations continues to guide the future.
