Aboriginal Heritage

The Wiradjuri people cover one of the largest tribal areas in NSW from Nyngan to Albury and from Hay to Bathurst. Wiradjuri means ‘people of three rivers’, these rivers being the Macquarie, Lachlan and Murrumbidgee. For the Wiradjuri, the three rivers were their livelihood and supplied a variety and consistent availability of food. Wiradjuri people moved around the country according to seasonal conditions, and often resided at Lake Cowal where they made the most of the abundant waterfowl, grains and fish.

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Lake Cowal itself is named after the Aboriginal word “Cowal” meaning “large water” and while “nerang” (as in Nerang Cowal) means “little water”. When the first European settlers arrived at Lake Cowal, there appeared to be substantial evidence that the area was inhabited by large numbers of Aborigines. The Bland Creek has previously been referred to as a meeting place of the Lachlan and Murrumbidgee Rivers.

Many aboriginal sites of significance have been identified around Lake Cowal. These have included scarred trees, flakes, cores, backed blades, burin, hearths, hand axes, hammer stones, ground artifact and mussel shell fragments.