Revealed: What will happen to Me-Mel aka Goat Island in Indigenous handover

Aboriginal people “will have 100 per cent possession and use of” Goat Island, known as Me-Mel in the Dharug language. Here’s what the new owners plan to do with it.

Goat Island in Sydney Harbour could become an epicentre of Aboriginal culture after the state government said it would hand it back to its Indigenous owners.

The state government yesterday announced they would spend $43 million on fixing up the dilapidated buildings and infrastructure on Goat Island, which is known as Me-Mel in the Dharug language, before the handover of the island.

Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council chief executive Nathan Moran said the island will be first and foremost a centre for Indigenous culture.

“It will be a cultural hub, something it has never been since about the 1830s to be quite frank,” he said.

“It will be a place Aboriginal people have 100 per cent possession of and more importantly the use of.”

An aerial photo of Goat Island, also known as Me-Mel, on Sydney Harbour. Picture: Simon Cottrell/Botanic Gardens Trust

He said the island would suit a range of uses from displaying Indigenous artefacts or as a place to connect with Indigenous culture.

“We have a host of Aboriginal businesses in these areas now which are more than likely to provide a more than 100 per cent Aboriginal experience … from events to maritime training to cultural education (and) cultural experiences.

“A place where we can showcase the culture we protect and preserve as the local land council, that for many decades now we’ve been doing this and we have a number of artefacts and materials that we’d love to have an appropriate place to display them and this will be that place.

Me-Mel, which means eye, is 300m long and 180m wide and was once inhabited by Bennelong. The island is significant to Indigenous culture because it is where the great eel spirit created the water courses known today as Sydney Harbour in the creation story Boora Birra.

Mr Moran said the push to hand the island back began in 2016 and was sparked by former prime minister Paul Keating when Mike Baird was premier.

$43 million will be spent restoring derelict buildings.

Mr Moran said the land council negotiated for the government to fix up the place so they did not inherit an asset that was dilapidated or unusable.

The government’s $43 million investment over the next four years will involve fixing up seawalls and buildings, improving the wharf and access, upgrading services such as water and sewers, and removing asbestos.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet and Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council chief executive Nathan Moran on Me-Mel. Picture: NewsWire / Monique Harmer

Premier Dominic Perrottet said returning the island to the Aboriginal community was a personal priority.

“Returning Me-Mel to the Aboriginal community is the right thing to do, and it helps deliver on my commitment of improving outcomes and opportunities for Aboriginal people across all parts of Government,” Mr Perrottet said.

NSW Aboriginal Affairs Minister Ben Franklin said to finalise the handover, a Me-Mel “transfer” committee will be formed to make recommendations for the transfer to Aboriginal ownership – and that will determine how the island is managed into the future.

“The Me-Mel Transfer Committee includes Aboriginal people and NSW Government agency representatives, and importantly, its establishment is supported by the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council,” Mr Franklin said.