Present-day country
Australia
15 nations list Australia among their present-day countries.
Present-day countries are listed by ISO 3166 names. Many nations live across more than one.
15 nations
-
Aṉangu
Also known as Pitjantjatjara
Lands Central Australia, including Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa in the Northern Territory and the APY Lands of South Australia
The park's board of management has 12 people, including eight Aboriginal members nominated by Traditional Owners.
-
Arrernte
Also known as Aranda
Lands Alice Springs and surrounding lands in Central Australia, Northern Territory, Australia
Lhere Artepe Aboriginal Corporation, their native title body, looks after five Indigenous Land Use Agreements plus a land release agreement.
Source: Lhere Artepe Aboriginal Corporation (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Gadigal
Also known as Cadigal
Lands The southern side of Sydney Harbour (Port Jackson), from South Head to around Petersham, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Descendants of the Eora still live in Sydney today and proudly use the name Eora.
Source: City of Sydney (Sydney Barani) (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Gamilaraay
Also known as Kamilaroi
Lands North-central New South Wales into southern Queensland, Australia
The Australian National University teaches Gamilaraay as a heritage language that its custodians are actively reviving.
Source: Australian National University (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Gunditjmara
Lands South-west Victoria, including Budj Bim and Tae Rak (Lake Condah), Australia
Budj Bim, on Gunditjmara Country, holds one of the largest and oldest aquaculture networks in the world and joined UNESCO's World Heritage List in 2019.
Source: Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority (Victoria) (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Kaurna
Lands The Adelaide Plains of South Australia, from around Crystal Brook in the north, bounded by the Mount Lofty Ranges to the east, Australia
Requests for Kaurna names and translations all go through Kaurna Warra Karrpanthi, an Aboriginal corporation.
Source: State Library of South Australia (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Larrakia
Lands The Darwin region, from Cox Peninsula in the west to Gunn Point in the north, Northern Territory, Australia
Larrakia Nation is one of the largest private sector employers of Aboriginal people in Darwin.
Source: Larrakia Nation Aboriginal Corporation (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Meriam
Also known as Meriam Le
Lands Mer (Murray Island) and nearby islands in the eastern Torres Strait, Queensland, Australia
Meriam Mir is the traditional language of Mer, an island in the far east of the Torres Strait from which the Great Barrier Reef can be seen.
Source: Tagai State College (Queensland Department of Education) (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Noongar
Also known as Nyungar
Lands The south-west of Western Australia, including the Perth region, Australia
The South West Native Title Settlement covers about 200,000 square kilometres and affects an estimated 40,000 Noongar people.
Source: South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Tiwi
Lands The Tiwi Islands (Bathurst and Melville Islands), about 80 km north of Darwin in the Arafura Sea, Northern Territory, Australia
The Tiwi Land Council listed the 2026 Tiwi Cultural Festival and Football Grand Final for Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 July.
-
Torres Strait Islanders
Lands the islands of the Torres Strait between Cape York and Papua New Guinea, in Queensland, Australia, and the Northern Peninsula Area
The Torres Strait Regional Authority, an Australian Government body set up on 1 July 1994, counts recognising and maintaining Torres Strait Islander Ailan Kastom among its functions.
Source: Torres Strait Regional Authority (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Wiradjuri
Also known as Wiradyuri
Lands Central New South Wales, the country of the Wambool (Macquarie), Kalari (Lachlan) and Murrumbidjeri (Murrumbidgee) rivers, Australia
A Charles Sturt University course shaped by Wiradjuri Elders works to build a living community of Wiradjuri speakers; it won a 2019 MacJannet Prize.
Source: Talloires Network of Engaged Universities (Tufts University) (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung
Also known as Wurundjeri
Lands Melbourne and surrounding lands, including the Birrarung (Yarra River), Victoria, Australia
Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people are the Traditional Custodians of Melbourne and the lands around it.
Source: Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Yawuru
Lands Broome (Rubibi) and the surrounding lands and seas, Kimberley, Western Australia, Australia
Nine Yawuru adults completed the first full-time course of Walalangga Yawuru Ngan-ga, a two year adult language program.
Source: Yawuru (Nyamba Buru Yawuru) (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Yolŋu
Also known as Yolngu
Lands North-east Arnhem Land, including the Gove Peninsula, Northern Territory, Australia
Dedicated in 2000, Dhimurru became the Northern Territory's first Indigenous Protected Area and the first IPA to cover sea country as well as land.