Lateral Love Australia

Tuesday 4th June 2013

On this day in 2000 over 60,000 people walked across the William Jolly Bridge in Brisbane in support for Aboriginal peoples and Reconciliation

Reconciliation Australia Bridge Walk Fact Sheet

Reconciliation March across Brisbane’s William Jolly Bridge,
4 June 2000. Photo © Ed Parker.

Tuesday 28th May 2013

On this day in 2000 over 300,000 people walked across the Sydney Harbour Bridge in support for Aboriginal peoples and Reconciliation

Bridge Walk Fact Sheet

On May 28, 2000 more than 300,000 people walked across the Sydney Harbour Bridge in support of Indigenous Australians and reconciliation. Held the day after Corroboree 2000, the walk attracted Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and other Australians of all ages and from many different backgrounds including politicians, public figures, families and members of the Stolen Generation, who streamed across the Harbour Bridge for five hours.

The ‘mass mobilisation’ in Sydney was quickly followed by walks in other capital cities, and towns, involving almost a million people in total around the country. In Brisbane more than 60,000 people crossed William Jolly Bridge, 55,000 filled the heart of Adelaide when they walked over King William Street Bridge and in Canberra, people braved snow and sleet to cross Commonwealth Bridge.  Walks were later held through the streets of Melbourne and Perth in December—with another 300,000 people taking part to support the reconciliation movement.