What is the name of the Indigenous group that holds the WugulOra ceremony on Australia Day? The answer is the Gadigal people.
WugulOra is a First Nations ceremony held in Sydney on 26 January. The name comes from the local Gadigal language and is commonly translated as “one mob,” expressing unity, gathering, and shared community. The ceremony includes cultural performances, a smoking ceremony, and reflection on the continuing relationship between Indigenous Australians and the land.
The Gadigal are the traditional custodians of the area around central Sydney, including much of the harbour shoreline and the site now associated with Barangaroo and the Sydney central business district. They are one of the clans of the Eora, the broader Aboriginal people traditionally connected with the Sydney region.
WugulOra is not simply another Australia Day entertainment event. It provides a distinctly Indigenous perspective on 26 January, a date that commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet but is also observed by many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as Invasion Day, Survival Day, or a day of mourning. The ceremony’s emphasis is on culture, healing, respect, and unity.