Top 10 Famous Indigenous People of Australia

The Sydney Harbour in Australia by Caleb Russell on Unsplash

Top 10 Famous Indigenous People of Australia

Australia is a vast and diverse continent, renowned for its natural wonders, thriving cities, and multicultural population. Beneath the surface, however, lies a rich and complex history, shaped by the presence of numerous indigenous groups that have inhabited the land for tens of thousands of years.

Despite centuries of colonization and cultural assimilation, these groups have managed to preserve their traditions, languages, and customs, and continue to contribute to Australia’s vibrant cultural landscape. Among these indigenous communities, there are countless examples of individuals who have overcome adversity and discrimination to achieve great success in various fields, becoming famous and celebrated figures in their own right.

This article will look to highlight some of these famous people who come from indigenous groups of people in Australia. Read our article on fun facts about Australia here!

1. Cathy Freeman

Australian Olympian Cathy Freeman by Jason Pini – Wikimedia Commons

Catherine Astrid Salome Freeman was born in Mackay, Queensland, Australia on February 16, 1973. She is an Aboriginal Australian former sprinter. At the age of 16, in 1990, Freeman became the first Indigenous Australian to win a gold medal in the Commonwealth Games. She was able to raise awareness of Aboriginal people and the substandard living conditions they endure thanks to her immense talent.

1994 seemed to be her year. At the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Canada, she won gold in both the 200m and 400m races. On 15 September 200, Catherine was the final torchbearer and had the honor of lighting the Olympic cauldron in the opening ceremony of the Sydney Olympic Games.

This marked the organizers’ hopes that the Games would promote reconciliation in Australia. She established the Cathy Freeman Foundation in 2007. It aims to assist Aboriginal children with their education.

2. David Unaipon

Portrait of David Ngunaitponi (Unaipon) by Unknown author – Wikimedia Commons

Have you ever wondered who is featured on the Australian $50 note? His name is David Ngunaitponi -commonly known as David Unaipon. He was born on 28 September 1872 in Point McLeay Mission, South Australia, British Empire. He was an Aboriginal preacher, inventor, and author. He belonged to the Ngarrindjeri people.

Unaipon was responsible for the invention of both the centrifugal motor and the shearing machine. He made important contributions to Australian society in the fields of science, literature, and Aboriginal affairs. The actions helped in breaking many Aboriginal Australian stereotypes. His work is commemorated by featuring him on the Australian $50 note.

3. Eddie Mabo

Photo of Eddie Mabo by State of New South Wales – Wikipedia

Eddie Mabo was born on 29 June 1946 in Mer, Torres Strait Islands, Queensland, Australia. He was an Aboriginal Australian man that was known for his role in campaigning for Indigenous rights in Australia. He particularly was responsible for the landmark decision of the High Court of Australia that overturned the international law doctrine of terra nullius, “nobody’s land”.

The High court judges considering the case Mabo v Queensland (No 2) made a ruling in favor of Mabo. This resulted in the establishment of the Native Act 1993 and native title in Australia. The rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait People in Australia were now officially recognized.

Eddie and Bonita Mabo founded the Black Community School in Townsville in 1973, where children may learn about their own culture rather than white culture. He died on 21 January 1992.

4. Lionel Edmund Rose

Photo of Lionel Rose training by Unknown author – Wikimedia Commons

Lionel Edmund Rose was born on 21 June 1948 in Labertouche, Victoria, Australia. He was of the Gunditjmara (Dhauwurd Wurrung) people. He is highly regarded for being the first Aboriginal boxer to win a world title. Lionel Rose’s career can only be described as legendary. From 1968 through 1969, he was the undisputed WBA, WBC, and The Ring bantamweight title.

During his lifetime, he competed from 1964 to 1974. In 2003, rose was honored by being inducted into the Australian National Boxing Hall of Fame “moderns” category. In 2010 he became the second person to be elevated to “legend” status. Rose died on May 8, 2011, after a lengthy illness.

Read more on Lionel here!

5. Mandawuy Yunupingu

Australian aboriginal singer Mandawuy Yunupingu performs by Australian Paralympic Committee – Wikimedia Commons

Mandawuy Djarrtjuntjun Yunupingu was born on 17 September 1956 in Yirrkala, Northern Territory, Australia. He was born as Tom Djambayang Bakamana Yunupingu. He was an indigenous Australian musician and teacher. He started the Aboriginal rock group, Yothu Yindi, in 1986 and was the lead singer.

Yunupingu acquired a Bachelor’s degree in education in 1987 from Deakin University and returned to Yirrkala Community school-his childhood school- to educate. He was the first Aboriginal to become a principal of a school in Australia, at Yirrkala. He was instrumental in establishing the Yolngu Action Group and introducing the Both Ways approach, which recognized traditional Aboriginal education alongside Western methods.

Yothu Yindi released several albums including Tribal Voice (1991) and Garma (2000). In 2012, the band was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame. In 1992, he was appointed Australian of the Year by the National Australia Day Council for his work in improving comprehension among Australians. The Queensland University of Technology bestowed upon him an honorary doctorate in April 1998. He passed away in 2013 at the age of 56.

6. Nova Peris

Cropped photograph of Nova Peris (left) and Governor-General Quentin Bryce (right) by the Governor-General of Australia – Wikimedia Commons

Nova Maree Peris was born in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia on February 25, 1971. She was a former politician and Aboriginal Australian athlete. Peris was a part of Australia’s Women’s Hockey squad in the Summer Olympics in 1996 She became Australia’s first Aboriginal Olympic gold medalist.

 In 1997, she switched sports and joined athletics. A year later she was a double gold medalist in the 1998 Commonwealth Games (Kuala Lumpur) winning the 200 sprints and 400m relay.

On September 7, 2013, Nova Peris became the first Aboriginal woman elected to the Australian Senate in the Federal Parliament. She was sworn in on 12 November 2013. In her inaugural speech, she emphasized the challenges that Aboriginal people face, as well as her own unique life story. She retired from Senate in 2016.

7. Oodgeroo Noonuccal

A photo of Oodgeroo Noonuccal by James and Pamela Crawford – Wikimedia Commons

Oodgeroo Noonuccal was born Kathleen Jean Mary Ruska. She was born on 3 November 1920 in Minjerribah, Queensland, Australia. She was a political activist, artist, and educator from Australia’s Aboriginal community. She campaigned for Aboriginal rights. Noonuccal was well renowned for her poetry, and she was the first Aboriginal Australian to publish a poetic book.

Noonuccal’s writing centered on Aboriginal people’s persecution and suffering, gaining her a reputation as a protest poet. She won several literary awards including; the Mary Gilmore Medal in 1970 and the Jessie Litchfield Award in 1975. On September 16, 1993, Oodgeroo Noonuccal died of cancer at the age of 72 years.

8. Pemulwuy

Pemulwuy was born c. 1750 in Botany Bay, New South Wales, Australia. He was referred to as Bimblewove or Bembulwoyan by Europeans. He was one of the most famous Aboriginal resistance fighters in the colonial era. He was a Bidjigal man of the Eora nation. He is regarded as a carradhy (cleverman), an Eora spiritual healer, and a cultural keeper.

Pemulwuy got the Eora, Dharug, and Tharawal people to join his anti-settler movement. In 1790, Pemulwuy began a twelve-year guerilla war against the colonists, which continued until his assassination. Pemulwuy was shot and killed by explorer and sailor Henry Hacking on 2 June 1802.

9. Sally Morgan

Official portrait of Baroness Morgan of Huyton by Chris McAndrew – Wikimedia Commons

Sally Jane Morgan was born in 1951 in Perth, Western Australia. She was an author, playwright, and artist from Aboriginal Australia. She attended the University of Western Australia and graduated in 1974 with a Psychology undergraduate degree. Her talent is plentiful. She has authored many biographies including; My Place and Wanamurraganya.

Morgan is now the director of the University of Western Australia’s Centre for Indigenous History and the Arts. In 1987, My Place-her first biography- received a Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission humanitarian award.

She deserved the award for her contributions to spreading awareness of Aboriginal people’s struggles. She can be described as inspirational to Australians in trying to make them appreciate the experiences of Aboriginal people through her literary works.

10. Tracker Tilmouth

Leigh Bruce “Tracker” Tilmouth was born in 1954 in the Alice Springs region of Northern Territory, Australia. He was an Arrante man. Tilmouth was well known for being a member of the stolen generation after being taken from his family at the age of three to Retta Dixon Home in Darwin and was later raised on Croker Island.

Tilmouth was instrumental in establishing the Central Australian Aboriginal Legal Aid Service and the Aboriginal health service in the South of the Northern Territory. He has also been able to serve as director of the Central Land Council.

Truly his contributions towards the Aboriginal Civil Rights Movement will always be remembered by Australians. Tilmouth died on Saturday 28 February 2015. He had been suffering from cancer and heart complications.