Before First Contact

Botany's earliest residents were the Aboriginal people who have lived in the Botany area for over 9,000 years. It has been estimated that 1,000 to 1,200 Aboriginal people lived around the shores of Botany Bay. They called the Botany area 'Gwea'. Later though, when European settlement took hold and the name 'Botany' was adopted, the Aboriginal translation of 'Booralee' was often used. The village was often officially referred to as 'Booralee' and subsequent maps saw Botany bearing this name. Nearby Booralee Park celebrates this long-term connection.

The Kameygal set up camps along the banks of the Cooks River and on the northern shores of Botany Bay with the Gweagal mainly on the southern side around Kurnell, although the Aboriginal boundaries are somewhat blurred. The Cadigal were also present but more to the western shores of the bay in areas immediately west of the Cooks River.

In the mild Sydney climate, the Aboriginal people had thrived, and their way of life was undisturbed until the English arrived and exposed them to diseases such as smallpox which decimated their numbers. While the Cadigal retreated further west, the local Botany tribes remained along the northern shoreline of Botany Bay, much to their peril.

(From the Dictionary of Sydney) https://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/botany#:~:text=Botany's%20earliest%20residents%20were%20the,the%20Botany%20area%20'Gwea'.