Where's All the Community?

A groundbreaking account of the people and places that have shaped Aboriginal Melbourne

In Where's All the Community? Aboriginal Melbourne Revisited, Julie Andrews paints a vivid portrait of the Aboriginal community in Melbourne, from 1835 to today.

Drawing on extensive interviews with community members, her research in anthropology and her own family's story, Andrews traces the bonds that have shaped and sustained Aboriginal Melbourne. She explores the importance of kinship, geographic mobility and ties to other First Nations communities. She considers health, education and housing, including the crucial role played by Aboriginal-led organisations. And she describes the ongoing campaigns for social justice, land rights and self-determination.

The result is a social history deeply rooted in place. From inner-city Fitzroy and Collingwood to regional missions and interstate connections, this is an evocative introduction to the past, present and future of Aboriginal Melbourne.

'Julie Andrews has written a powerful book that provides insights into Aboriginal mobility, kinship, culture and identity in Melbourne. It's a story that should be more widely known, a story of resilience and survival. This book is compelling reading for any Australian interested in gaining a fuller picture of the story of Aboriginal people living in a major urban environment such as Melbourne.' —Terry Garwood

'For non-Aboriginal scholars engaging with the history of Aboriginal Melbourne, Where's All the Community? offers a provocation to engage with Aboriginal ways of knowing—which Andrews explains is 'rooted in community knowledge and lived experience'. —Fiona Gatt, Australian Policy and History