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On the fertile floodplains of the Hawkesbury River, then known as Deerubbin, a young Dharug girl named Maria Locke was born around 1805. Her life would bridge two worlds: the ancient custodianship of the Dharug people and the new colonial order spreading west from Sydney. More than two centuries later, her story still echoes across the same river flats, reminding us that the Hawkesbury’s past and future are woven together through courage, culture, and community.
A Daughter of Yarramundi
Maria was the daughter of Yarramundi, the respected leader of the Boorooberongal clan of the Dharug Nation, a man known to Governor Lachlan Macquarie as both a friend and an ally in early negotiations for land rights between the Crown and Aboriginal peoples. Yarramundi was renowned for his wisdom and diplomacy, guiding his people through a time of upheaval as European settlers occupied their traditional hunting and fishing grounds.
Maria grew up at Richmond Bottoms, where the Hawkesbury’s shimmering bends meet the open plains. It was a place of abundance and deep spiritual connection, one that her people had cared for since time immemorial. But by the time Maria was a child, this landscape was being carved into farms and paddocks, its wetlands drained for crops, its riverbanks fenced and tamed.
Governor Macquarie’s Experiment
Governor Macquarie believed that education could ‘civilise’ Aboriginal children and integrate them into colonial society. At a grand gathering in Parramatta on 28 December 1814, he established the Native Institution, a school designed to train Aboriginal children in English, religion, and European domestic life.
It was there that Yarramundi enrolled his daughter Maria, an act reflecting both trust and pragmatism. In the Governor’s eyes, Yarramundi was one of the “natives of highest distinction.” For Yarramundi, the decision symbolised a hope that his daughter might survive and even thrive in this new world that was closing in on their own.
Maria quickly proved to be exceptional. In 1819, at just 14 years old, she topped her entire school in reading, spelling, and sewing outperforming more than 100 European students.
The Sydney Gazette praised the “black girl of 14” who had carried off the chief prize. It was a rare acknowledgment of Aboriginal intelligence and discipline at a time when both were routinely dismissed.
A Marriage That Made History
Maria’s adulthood was marked by another first. On 26 January 1824, she married Robert Lock, a convict carpenter from England who was working at the Native Institution. Their marriage, held at St John’s Church, Parramatta, was the first officially sanctioned union between an Aboriginal woman and a European man in New South Wales.
Governor Brisbane approved not only the marriage but also an extraordinary arrangement: Robert Lock was assigned to his wife meaning Maria was, on paper, his master. This was unheard of in the colony, and a testament to Maria’s standing and determination.
Land, Legacy, and Independence
Maria and Robert made their home first in Liverpool, where she petitioned Governor Darling for the land she had been promised as part of her marriage. In 1833, she received 40 acres, becoming one of the earliest Aboriginal women to hold land in her own name under colonial law.
When her brother Colebee, also a respected leader and early land grantee passed away, Maria inherited his Blacktown property in 1843. There she raised her family of ten children, managing two estates and balancing the expectations of both her Aboriginal kin and colonial authorities.
Her achievements cannot be overstated. At a time when Aboriginal people were increasingly confined, displaced, and stripped of agency, Maria Locke not only educated her children but ensured they inherited tangible assets: land, skills, and a sense of belonging.
Enduring Strength Amid Dispossession
Robert Lock died in 1854, leaving Maria to manage their affairs alone. She remained independent until her death in 1878, at Windsor, where she was buried beside her husband at St Bartholomew’s Church, Prospect. Her headstone bears a haunting epitaph:
“The last of the Aborigines from Blacktown.”
While meant as a memorial, the phrase also reflects the tragic mindset of the time the belief that Aboriginal people were vanishing. Yet, Maria’s descendants are living proof of the opposite. Many Dharug families today trace their lineage back to her, carrying forward her strength and her story.
A Story That Belongs to the Hawkesbury
For those of us who live and work across the Hawkesbury region, Maria’s story is not distant history, it’s part of our shared landscape. She was born on the very soil that sustains our farms, our homes, and our communities today. Her father walked the same floodplains where we now grow turf, vegetables, and other produce. Her life reminds us that these lands have always held deep meaning, long before the first surveyor’s line was drawn.
Maria Locke’s experience also mirrors many of the challenges our region still faces: balancing heritage with progress, protecting land while providing for families, and ensuring that those who care for country are heard in decisions about its future.
The Women Who Built Foundations
While colonial history often highlights governors and settlers, women like Maria Locke built the foundations of community raising children, cultivating land, and navigating systems designed to exclude them. Her story reminds us that Aboriginal women were not passive recipients of colonial policy; they were active participants, negotiators, and leaders in their own right.
Her education, her land ownership, and her advocacy all challenged the limits imposed on her people. Through resilience and intelligence, she forged a path that defied expectations not only surviving colonisation but shaping its course.
From History to Future
As the Hawkesbury continues to grow and modernise with new infrastructure, industries, and population pressures it’s vital that we keep stories like Maria’s at the heart of our identity. Recognising her doesn’t just honour the past; it deepens our understanding of who we are now.
Just as Maria built bridges between cultures in the 1800s, we too have the opportunity to build bridges between communities, between business and environment, between tradition and innovation. Her example offers a blueprint for balance: respect for heritage, courage to adapt, and a commitment to fairness.
A Voice for Our Time
In today’s conversations about land use, housing, education, and community resilience, Maria Locke’s story offers timeless lessons. She reminds us that true progress is measured not just in development or policy, but in how we care for people and how we honour those who cared for this place before us.
As the Hawkesbury Gazette continues its mission to connect, inform, and uplift our region, it is fitting to remember that the first recorded Aboriginal woman to be permitted to own land under the control of the British Colony of New South Wales came from right here. She was the daughter of Yarramundi, born on the banks of our river, whose life bridged the worlds of the Dharug and the colonists. Her name was Maria Locke and her spirit still flows with the waters of the Hawkesbury.
Recommendation: Listen to 2025 Boyer Lectures "Australia: Radical Experiment in Democracy" Hon John Anderson former Deputy Prime Minister who talks about Maria Locke in his lecture.
