This second edition of Sydney's Aboriginal Past draws on the latest historical, archaeological, geological, environmental and linguistic research, as well as oral evidence of present-day Aboriginal people, to reveal the diversity of Aboriginal life in the Sydney region before, during and for the first thirty years of British settlement. Val Attenbrow describes the different Aboriginal groups and how they lived; the resources available; the foods they ate and their means of obtaining them; their tools, weapons and equipment, and how they were made; where they camped; their shelters, clothing and personal adornment; their beliefs, ceremonial life and rituals; as well as their designs and images.

Val Attenbrow is a senior research scientist in the anthropology branch of the Australian Museum. She has focused her research on the Aboriginal archaeology of southeastern Australia, particularly the Port Jackson catchment area around Sydney Harbor.