Gnunga Gnunga Murremurgan

Gnunga Gnunga Murremurgan (c.1773 – 12 January 1809), also known as Collins, was an Eora man who, in 1793–1794, was the first Indigenous Australian to travel across the Pacific Ocean, visiting Yuquot, California and Hawai'i as part of Captain George Vancouver's Pacific expedition.

Friendship with David Collins Gnunga Gnunga first made contact with the British at the nascent military outpost of Sydney in November 1790. He immediately made a good impression on the colonists who regarded him as having an agreeable and gentle disposition. The Judge Advocate of New South Wales, David Collins, held him in particular esteem and gave him his own name of Collins, which Gnunga Gnunga readily adopted.

Voyage to America In April 1793, the storeship Daedalus under the command of Lieutenant James Hanson, arrived in Sydney with orders to resupply the expedition of Captain George Vancouver which was stationed on the west coast of America. Daedalus was short of crew and the Lieutenant Governor of New South Wales, Major Francis Grose, ordered that Gnunga Gnunga join the vessel so that he could more fully learn the English language, and that if he survived the voyage, he was to be brought back "safe to his friends and countrymen".

Vancouver's expedition involved negotiations with the Spanish Empire over ownership of the ports on the west coast of America and his expedition was often denied full access to these ports. However, at the Presidio of Santa Barbara, his fleet was given open access and the crew, including Gnunga Gnunga, were allowed recreation at the settlement as long as they were back onboard their ships by nightfall. A large population of Indigenous Californians was located at a nearby mission and village, and these people regularly interacted with the crew of Vancouver's fleet. Vancouver wrote that they had an "extremely pleasant" week at Santa Barbara.