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Sydney’s name has roots that trace back to both colonial and Indigenous histories. In 1788, when the British established their first settlement in Australia, Captain Arthur Phillip, the first Governor of New South Wales, named the site Sydney Cove in honour of Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney, who was then the British Home Secretary.
However, the area had long been inhabited by the Gadigal (Cadigal) people, part of the Eora Nation, who referred to the cove as Warrane. Their territory stretches from South Head to Darling Harbour along the southern shores of Port Jackson, encompassing what is now the heart of modern Sydney. The Gadigal land was known as Gadi (Cadi) in their language, and the clan naming convention typically involved adding the suffix "-gal" to names based on geographical features, food sources, or cultural totems.
While Captain Phillip initially considered the name Albion for the settlement, it was never adopted. By 1790, the term Sydney had become common among British officials, and the town was officially declared a city in 1842.
Today, Greater Sydney sits on the traditional lands of at least 28 Aboriginal clans, making it a place deeply connected to thousands of years of Indigenous culture and heritage, alongside its more recent colonial legacy.