Thriving
1894 - 1900s

1894 saw the subdivision of the station, providing individuals and families their own allotments to farm. 20 farm lots, each being 40 acres in size were established at Cummeragunja. These were in addition to a small number of farms taken up in the surrounding area by those who had decided to step away from the stifling controls of mission life.

By their own hand, the community at Cummeragunja thrived. The station’s Koori led management committee oversaw successful commercial enterprises in the sale of wheat, wool and dairy, and conditions were improving. Station finances were being directed back into the community for community benefit. This however was to be short lived.

Turmoil
1909 - 1939

The Aborigines Protection Act 1909 gave the government greater control, and in 1915, after the local farmers' committee was abolished and amendments to the Act gave the New South Wales Board for the Protection of Aborigines even wider powers, the Board took greater control of Cummeragunja and its residents.

The Board took all profits earned by the Station, and the community was neglected. Poor sanitation, inadequate housing and lack of clean water led to illness such as from tuberculosis and whooping cough, which especially affected the elderly and young, leading to deaths.

Many families were victims of the stolen generations.

By the 1930s conditions had drastically deteriorated. Residents were confined to the station and many of their relatives were forced away. Decent rations and supplies were lacking and residents were forced to share blankets and live in rag huts.

Walk-Off
1939

On 6 February 1939, about 170 residents walked off the mission in protest at their treatment, settling across the river, to relocate in Victoria, in camps on the riverbanks. Margaret Tucker MBE and Geraldine Briggs AO were among the most prominent protesters.

This protest became known as the Cummeragunja walk-off, and was the first mass strike of Indigenous people in Australia, and was to inspire later movements and protests.

Many of the participants in the walk-off settled in northern Victoria, including Barmah, Echuca, Mooroopna and Shepparton.

The Cummeragunja Walk-Off is such a significant part of Indigenous Australian history, further information can be found here.

Post War and Closure
1939 - 1984

Following World War II, the Government handed parcels of land at Cummeragunja and other Aboriginal reserves over to white Australian returned servicemen under the Soldier Settlement Scheme. Indigenous returned servicemen were not eligible for the scheme, so even those from Cummeragunja who had served in the war were not rewarded in this way.

In 1953, Cummeragunja's status as a station was ended, and it was reduced to the status of Aboriginal reserve. Only a few residents remained, but they persisted in claiming the right to begin farming again.

In 1956, ahead of the visit of Queen Elizabeth II for the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, the remaining families were moved to 10 especially built houses at an area known as Rumbalara. The Rumbalara Aboriginal Co-operative was established 1980, and runs health services for the community. There is also a Rumbalara Football Netball Club.

Handover to Today
1984 - now

On 9 March 1984 ownership of the land was passed to the newly created Yorta Yorta Local Aboriginal Land Council.

Many Aboriginal families still live on Cummeragunja; around 100 people, including 20 children, as of 2025. Ancestral connections determine residency rights in the village. There are 23 houses, but six are abandoned and in need of repair.

As of 2025, Cummeragunja is owned and managed by the independent body Cummeragunja Local Aboriginal Land Council (CLALC) under the umbrella organisation of the NSW Aboriginal Land Council.