Sacred women’s business: the Hindmarsh Island bridge affair

Late Night Live - Separate stories podcast · Oct 15, 2026 · 26m

In 1988 developers Tom and Wendy Chapman decided to expand their marina on Hindmarsh Island in the mouth of the Murray river which people usually accessed by ferry. But to get the development approved they needed to build a bridge from the mainland. Opposing them were the Ngarrindjeri women on the basis of what became known as ‘secret women’s business’.

The island, which they call Kumarangk, was for them a place of birth, burial and sacred ceremonies. The Hindmarsh Island bridge affair would go on to become of the most controversial disputes over Aboriginal heritage in modern Australian…