In the above map of the Werribee River Catchment ¹ as defined by the brown continuous line, all streams flow into the Werribee River or into Port Phillip Bay. For the three major language groups who lived in the Werribee River Catchment, the Werribee River was a major border. The superimposed dotted lines show where different groups and some of their clans lived.

The clans belonged to three language groups, Western Kulin Watha wurrung clans to the west of the river, and the Eastern Kulin Woi wurrung to the east but above the dotted brown line, and the Eastern Kulin Boon wurrung also to the east but below the dotted brown line. Each clan, usually up to some hundreds of people, lived a sustainable existence by hunting and gathering food when moving around their area or estate, and respected the estate of others. The exact borders between estates may have moved over time, but the dotted lines reflect the situation at the time of settlement by Europeans.²

The Watha wurrung clan were part of the Western Kulin nation, and spoke a language which shared fifty percent of a common vocabulary with the Woi wurrung and the Boon wurrung, part of the Eastern Kulin nation. The Woi wurrung and the Boon wurrung shared up to ninety three percent of a common vocabulary.²

The three language groups also shared Dreaming figures Bunjil (Eaglehawk) and Waa (Crow). Marriage and ceremonial bonds often connected the groups, as well as trade. For example, the Yalukit willam clan of the Eastern Kulin Nation lived in the narrow coastal strip below the brown dotted line from the Werribee River across to present day St Kilda, and had contact with the Watha wurrung clans of the Western Kulin.²

Other clans who lived in the catchment are named in the table accompanying the map.