The information below is by the Maribyrnong Council and we thank them for this information.

Aboriginal Maribyrnong

Aboriginal people have a deep and continuous connection to the place now called Victoria. Aboriginal people have lived in the Maribyrnong River valley for at least 40,000 years and probably far longer. 

Maribyrnong is an anglicised version of the Aboriginal term ‘Mirring-gnay-bir-nong’, which translates as 'I can hear a ringtail possum'.

European settlement in Maribyrnong in the 1830s had a massive impact on Aboriginal people – decimating communities, displacing families and disrupting lives. And yet in spite of this, Aboriginal culture remains a dynamic force in contemporary society, contributing to the diverse and thriving inner west. Many sacred sites have been identified.

Who are the traditional owners of Maribyrnong?

The area now known as the City of Maribyrnong was a significant meeting place for the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung and the Bunurong peoples and clans of the Kulin Nation.

Where the Maribyrnong and Yarra rivers join was an especially important place as it symbolised the joining of groups who would travel along the river.

Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples

The Wurundjeri People take their name from the Woiwurrung language word ‘wurun’ meaning the Manna Gum (Eucalyptus viminalis) which is common along ‘Birrarung’ (Yarra River), and ‘djeri‘, the grub which is found in or near the tree. Wurundjeri are the ‘Witchetty Grub People’ and their Ancestors relationship with the land extends back tens of thousands of years to when their creator spirit ‘Bunjil’ formed their people, the land and all living things.

The Wurundjeri’s connection to land is underpinned by cultural and spiritual values vastly different to those of the Europeans. The Wurundjeri did not ‘own’ the land in the European sense of the word, but belonged to, or were ‘owned by’ the land. They did not live in permanent settlements but, rather, camped for periods within defined clan boundaries where food was plentiful, and moved on when the land needed to rejuvenate. The land provided all the Wurundjeri needed – food, water, medicine, shelter – and they treated it with the respect due to such a provider.

Find out more about the Wurundjeri Aboriginal cultural heritage, cultural and educational services on www.wurundjeri.com.au

Bunurong peoples

The Bunurong peoples are First Nations people from south-east Victoria, their traditional lands are from the Werribee River in the north-west, down to Wilson's Promontory in the south-east, taking in the catchments of the old Carrum swamp, Tarwin River and Westernport Bay, and including Mornington Peninsula, French and Phillip Islands. Bunurong people were part of a language group or nation known as Kulin. Bunurong people prefer to be described as Kulin or Bunurong rather than Koorie, which is a word from another Aboriginal language. The Bunurong People were made up of a number of Clans or Family groups.

Find out more about the Bunurong / Boonwurrung peoples who are represented by two organisations namely the Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation www.bunuronglc.org and the Boon Wurrung Foundation  www.boonwurrung.org

Legendary writer Martin Flanagan recalls a story* about 1960’s Footscray being described as “a colourful, friendly, edgy place”. It remains so, it has lost nothing. To some surprise, this was celebrated by "Time Out" in 2019, when they named Footscray as the 13th Coolest Suburb in the World, largely for being colourful, friendly and edgy. Colourful, friendly and edgy is essentially the ethos of Pride itself.

Simply, Footscray is a wondrous community, where an incredibly diverse population lives peacefully together. Everybody just seems to get along. 

The diversity within Footscray sees Pride situated above a Vietnamese Grocery and below a gym run by one of our Greek friends, all co-tenants in a building owned by a company called American Billiards which is run by an Italian family! Surrounding the building, which is opposite the lively Footscray Market, is restaurants; Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian, Japanese, Korean, African and Turkish, plus pizza & burgers of course. So note, we don’t cook at Pride, just get your food at one of these incredible restaurants (invariably cheap) and bring it in (or order it while you're at Pride).

Footscray and the inner-West are also home to many talented artists, poets, musicians and performers, many of whom have graced the Pride stage.

And don't forget, Footscray is home to the mighty Western Bulldogs Football Club. When you enter Pride, you see giant letters spelling our P R I D E mounted above the stage, these were donated by the Doggies themselves after one of their iconic AFLW Pride Games, pretty proud about that!

Footscray, its surrounds and everyday life are the subject of several of Pride's walls. The wall behind our stage highlights the journey between Flinders Street station and the Whitten Oval, featuring all the highlights in between, including the fabled Franco Cozzo building. Other highlights include a Teddy Whitten tribute in the smoker’s garden and FOOTSCRAY in bright pink graffiti as you enter the venue, sensationally painted by one of our bartenders, Mitch.

Footscray still remains somewhat underrated.  Yet its street art rivals that of the city. It's cheap shopping is a joy. Its food is authentic and delicious. Its diversity means you'll regularly see things you've never seen before (it’s like constantly being somewhere else). And its people are as friendly as anywhere and strangers regularly chat freely in the bar. 

And finally, Footscray is separated from the CBD only by the docks, i.e. it's only a very short Uber away or, on PT wise, its 2 train stops from the city.

In Footscray, and in Pride, be yourself and have fun.