Woollarawarre Bennelong (c.1764-1813) and his interactions with the first European settlers make his story one of the most enduring and discussed in Australian history.
The grave of Bennelong lies in the suburb of Putney on the banks of the Parramatta River, opposite the region known to Bennelong as Wan, his birthplace. 2013 marked two hundred years since his death.
Finding Bennelong tells the story of a man in an extraordinary time, charting unknown territory in a world of strange new arrivals. Drawing on more recent research and contemporary thoughts on his circumstance, motivation and legacy, it helps us better understand and answer the question: who really was Woollarawarre Bennelong?
Finding Bennelong is a resource that can be shared for the benefit of all communities. By documenting and reflecting on our cultural heritage, it aims to contribute to community harmony and cultural understanding in contemporary times.
Sources
The narrative draws on the published historical research of Dr Keith Vincent Smith, author of Bennelong (2001) and MARI NAWI (2010), and on the journals and letters of the First Fleet officers quoted throughout the site.
A Song of the Natives of New South Wales, c1793, was written down from the singing of Bennelong and Yemmerawanne, the two men who were brought to England from Botany Bay by Governor Phillip (Edward Jones, Musical Curiosities, London, 1811, page 15, British Library, London).
The historical images reproduced in the galleries are held by the following institutions and are individually labelled and credited in each gallery:
- Donald Friend, Sydney Opera House Collection
- Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW
- Natural History Museum, London
- National Library of Australia
- British Library
- London Metropolitan Archives
- National Archives Kew
A note for visitors
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this resource contains images and names of deceased persons. All of the documented information regarding religious beliefs, ceremony and burial practices has been published previously, or is publicly accessible. The words of eighteenth and nineteenth century writers are quoted at length. Many of these writers, although writing sympathetically about the loss of life and culture, used words and phrases that may not be considered appropriate today. In quoting these words, without alteration, no disrespect is intended to living peoples.
findingbennelong.com is an independent, non-commercial educational resource. It is not affiliated with any council, government agency, cultural institution or production company, and it does not collect personal information.