The Boonwurrung Land and Sea Council (BLSC) represents the ongoing efforts of the Boonwurrung
people to achieve formal recognition of their traditional rights and connection to Country through
the Native Title process.
The journey began in 1997, almost 30 years ago, when the Boonwurrung community first set out to
assert their rights and protect their Country. Over the decades, the community has achieved
significant milestones, including the negotiation of the first Indigenous Land Use Agreement (ILUA) in
the Melbourne area—the Blairgowrie ILUA. This ILUA was successfully defended in the Federal
Court, marking an important precedent for Boonwurrung land rights. We acknowledge the
leadership and contributions of the two signatories to this ILUA, Carolyn Briggs and the late Vera
Wigg, whose efforts were pivotal in securing this landmark agreement.
The Boonwurrung people have also played a critical role in protecting their native title rights and
interests at Wamoon (Wilsons Promontory), ensuring the preservation of cultural heritage, sacred
sites, and Country for future generations. This legal journey has been driven with dedication and
vision of the Boonwurrung Solicitor, Jason Briggs, who has recently handed responsibility for the
case to Stephen Kenny, the newly appointed lawyer for the Boonwurrung Applicants.
In 2020, the Boonwurrung community lodged a Native Title Claim (VID 363/2020) in the Federal
Court of Australia, with Carolyn Briggs and Fay Muir as the formally appointed applicants. This claim
seeks to formally recognise the Boonwurrung people’s continuous and unbroken relationship with
their ancestral lands and waters, stretching from the Werribee River in the west, across Melbourne
(Naarm), and down to Wilsons Promontory.
This claim is part of a long journey toward recognition, reconciliation, and the protection of
Boonwurrung Country. Through this process, BLSC advocates for:
- Respect and protection of sacred sites
- Return of cultural authority
- Inclusion of Boonwurrung voices in land and sea management decisions
We acknowledge the invaluable guidance, knowledge, and leadership of our elders who are no
longer with us, particularly Aunty Beryl Carmichael and Aunty Elsie Seymour, whose efforts were crucial in providing evidence to the Court. We also recognise the support and contributions of the broader Boonwurrung kinship network and families, whose collective knowledge and commitment underpin the strength of this claim.
Although the Native Title process is ongoing, it reflects the strength, resilience, and enduring
connection of the Boonwurrung people. Their custodianship of this Country has endured for tens ofthousands of years and continues to guide its care into the future. This claim is not only a legal process but a reaffirmation of Boonwurrung culture, heritage, and identity, ensuring that the voices of our people are heard, respected, and central in decisions affecting our lands and waters.
