Our Culture

Booderee is home to the people of Wreck Bay, who have cared for the land and waters of the Jervis Bay area for many generations.

They are proud of this association, passing on their special knowledge and ancestral and creation stories to their families.

Booderee, in the Dhurga language of the region, means ‘bay of plenty’. It is the name chosen by the Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community following the return of the area to its Aboriginal Traditional Owners.

Like all Aboriginal peoples, the Koori people are on a continual learning journey. Knowledge is passed down from family member to family member, including information about the identification, management, use, and protection of foods, medicines, birds, animals, seasons, and climate changes. This body of information is constantly growing, changing, and being passed to new generations. There is no richer source of knowledge of the land than that of Aboriginal people.

Booderee Botanic Gardens is the only Aboriginal-owned botanic gardens in Australia.

Learn about bush medicines and tools with Bernie McLeod