Aboriginal ownership of national parks celebrated at cultural festival

Anniversary of national parks' return to traditional owners celebrated on NSW South Coast Sun 31 May 2026 at 8:00am In short: It has been two decades since the Biamanga and Gulaga National Parks were handed back to traditional owners. The land, which includes two mountains between Bega and Narooma, is considered sacred to the Yuin people. What's next? The 20-year anniversary was celebrated in Tilba during Reconciliation Week. Indigenous resilience and survival are at the forefront of a festival on the NSW south coast, celebrating the landmark return of national parks to the local Aboriginal people. The Biamanga and Gulaga National Parks, between Bega and Narooma, were handed back to the Yuin people in 2006. The land is sacred to the traditional owners, as are the Gulaga and Biamanga mountains within it. Hundreds of people gathered at Tilba on Saturday, at the foothills of Gulaga, to celebrate two decades since the handback. Walbunja woman, Aunty Roslyn Field said the handback marked "the return of what was always ours". "This is not just an anniversary; it's a living reminder of who we are, where we come from, and the strength of our ancestors," she said during her address to the festival. "The handback was more than a transfer of title; it was a moment of truth, recognition and justice for Aboriginal people." Gulaga is known as Mother Mountain. It holds the spirit of creation and is where Aboriginal women would retreat for storytelling, ceremony and childbirth. Biamanga is a traditional men's place and contains initiation sites where boys would become men. Aunty Ros is the chair of the Gulaga Board of Management, which alongside the Biamanga board, has been managing the parks in partnership with the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service for 20 years. She said it was important to pay respect to the elders who fought to have the land returned to the Yuin people, and the legacy it held for the youth. "The handback was never just about being for one generation; it was always about those who would come after us," she said. "It's our responsibility to ensure they know the stories, walk the tracks, fill the spirit of the place and understand what it means to belong." Always Was, Always Will Be The Biamanga and Gulaga National Parks were proclaimed in 1994 and 2001, respectively. Guboo Ted Thomas, Percy Mumbulla and other elders led a major land rights campaign to have the parks returned to Yuin hands. In May 2006, Biamanga and Gulaga National Parks were handed back to traditional owners. Yuin man Uncle Bunja Smith, who is the chair of the Biamanga Board of Management, said he remembered watching Uncle Ted and Uncle Percy advocating for their land. He said the festival was a time for the younger generation to learn of their past, and hopefully carry the legacy into the future. "I was their age, watching those fellas fight for the mountains," he said. "Now it's my turn to pass that on, to make sure that in another 20 years, they're having another celebration, much like this one." The handbacks are two of seven that have occurred in NSW. Bob Debus, who was the NSW environment minister at the time of the handback, said he remembered the moment and was pleased to see the arrangement was still going strong. "There was a feeling of elation that we had managed to bring this concept to reality," he said. "For lots of white people, there was a tremendous feeling of relief that we could do something good for First Nations people, not bad." The 20-year anniversary coincides with National Reconciliation Week, which concludes on June 3.