GWEAGAL SPEARS RETURN TO COUNTRY AFTER 250 YEARS
David Johnson, Kirsty Beller and Clare Woolley from the La Perouse Aboriginal community view four Gweagal spears, collected at Gamay (Botany Bay), 1770, on loan from Gujaga Foundation. PC: David James, Chau Chak Wing Museum
BY ASAD KHAN
Four Gweagal spears taken by Lieutenant James Cook and the crew of the HMB Endeavour in 1770 have returned to Country after more than 250 years overseas.
These fishing spears are now the centrepiece of Mungari: Fishing, Resistance, Return, an exhibition at the University of Sydney’s Chau Chak Wing Museum, which opened on 5 April.
The exhibition provides a rare chance to view these culturally significant objects. It is free to the public and will run for three months.
After the exhibition ends, the spears will remain at the museum until the La Perouse Aboriginal community builds a permanent home for them in Gundal (Kurnell, NSW), where they were originally taken from.
Handing back the Gweagal Spears in Cambridge Source: Jenny Magee
Noeleen Timbery, Chair of the La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council, emphasised the importance of the return.
“It’s really important that we reflect on our Elders who started us on this journey,
“In the 1980s, a group of women Elders in our community began reclaiming our heritage, setting us on the path to bringing back objects taken from Country.”
She shared that the process of repatriation has become easier in recent years.
“The world’s a very different place now,” she said.
“We’ve been able to build strong relationships with overseas museums and continue the work started by our Elders.”
Installation view of Mungari: Fishing, Resistance, Return at the Chau Chak Wing Museum
PC: David James, Chau Chak Wing Museum
The spears’ return has been a powerful moment for the La Perouse community. Ms Timbery recalled the ceremony in Cambridge, United Kingdom, when the spears were handed back in 2023.
“It was wonderful to see community members and Elders who had long worked towards this moment,”
The spears are a tangible link to our ancestors—not just those who fought for their return, but those who made them.”
Mungari also features contemporary spears made by cultural teacher Uncle Rod Mason. The exhibition highlights the ongoing strength of cultural practices.
“It’s important for us to show that our culture is still alive,”
“Our connection to Country from Sydney Harbour down into the Shoalhaven and Illawarra is still clear.”
Uncle Rod Mason’s work represents skills passed down through generations.
“We wanted to show that our culture has continued, even here in the largest city in Australia,” she said.
The La Perouse community is working with the New South Wales Government and National Parks on a new visitor centre at Gundal.
PC: David James, Chau Chak Wing Museum
This project will help return the spears to their true place of origin.
Mr Timbery said that when the spears are returned to the lands where they were created and used, that will be the ultimate part of this story.
She hopes the exhibition offers a broader understanding of Australia’s shared history.
“The story of the Gweagal is often told from the explorers’ perspective,
“But these spears are survivors from that moment—they show a deeper, shared history.”
“We’re proud of our place in that history, and we want all Australians to share it with us.”
Listen to Ngaarda Media’s Asad Khan speak with Noeleen Timbery: