Anniversary of the Cummeragunja Walk-Off

4 February

On 4 February 1939, about 200 Yorta Yorta people left Cummeragunja Station on the New South Wales side of the Murray River in protest against the conditions imposed on their community. The walk-off is remembered as a significant act of Aboriginal collective resistance.

What people were challenging

Cummeragunja was a place of family and community life on Yorta Yorta Country, but residents lived under a system that controlled Aboriginal lives. The protest concerned poor living conditions and the conduct of the station’s management. Leaving was a way of refusing that treatment and asserting the right to live with dignity.

The walk-off should be understood through the actions of the people who took part, including families whose decisions carried practical consequences for children, housing and livelihoods. It was more than a moment of departure: people had to sustain life after leaving a place where they had established relationships and homes.

Why the walk-off matters

This history challenges the idea that Aboriginal people simply accepted restrictive government policies. It records organised resistance and the determination of Yorta Yorta people to make decisions about their own lives. The anniversary belongs within the wider history of Aboriginal rights, while retaining its particular connection to Yorta Yorta families and Country.

Archives can help trace what authorities recorded, but an official record is not a complete account of lived experience. Read administrative documents alongside Aboriginal accounts and pay attention to who created a record, whose perspective it preserves and whose voice is missing.

Marking the anniversary with care

For schools and workplaces, a useful starting point is to locate Cummeragunja and understand why crossing a state border did not erase people’s connections to Country. Explore the difference between a government’s control over a station and the enduring relationships of its residents.

Use local Yorta Yorta guidance when seeking community participation. Historical photographs and family stories need appropriate attribution and permissions; an anniversary does not make private experiences available for public use. Avoid activities that ask learners to reenact forced control or place Aboriginal participants in the position of explaining family trauma.

Sources and further reading

The resources below provide historical records, First Nations perspectives and pathways for further learning. Some historical material contains names and images of deceased people, outdated language or distressing content. Follow the guidance provided by each publisher.

Online sources and longer reading

Cummeragunja Walk Off. Museums of History NSW. Historical overview, the 4 February date and archival material about the protest.
https://mhnsw.au/stories/first-nations/cummeragunja-walk-off/

Mission and reserve records. AIATSIS. Guidance on locating and critically reading government and mission records.
https://aiatsis.gov.au/family-history/family-history-sources/official-records/mission-and-reserve-records

4 February 1939: The Cummeragunja Walk-Off. Common Ground. An Aboriginal-led account to read alongside institutional records.
https://www.commonground.org.au/article/the-cummeragunja-walk-off-on-4-february-1939

Our related products and resources

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