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Louisa Briggs

Louisa Briggs was a trailblazing Aboriginal rights leader, midwife and nurse. Please note this page includes the image and story of a deceased First Nations woman.

Louisa advocated for the rights of displaced First Nations people taken to government reserves and stations in the late 1800s. She is recognised as one of the five ancestors from whom Boonwurrung heritage can be traced.

Born on the south coast in the 1830s, Louisa was a young child when she was kidnapped by sealers and taken to Preservation Island in the Bass Strait.

Through the 1870s, Louisa lived with her husband and children at Coranderrk Aboriginal Station where she worked as a nurse and midwife and later became the first Aboriginal woman to be paid as a midwife. Louisa was an outspoken advocate for First Nations rights and was expelled from Coranderrk several times, often for criticising the station’s administration.

Louisa was an activist at a time when the government and its agencies enforced assimilation policies and excluded biracial people. She protested against the poor treatment of Aboriginal people on the government reserves and sent letters to officials about the low wages and lack of rations. She died in 1925 aged nearly 100.

Proposed location: St Kilda, Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong country

Louisa Briggs - Victorian Women’s Public Art Program

Image source: Glen Eira City Council website

Arts, culture & heritage

Agnes Chambers, Agnes Doig and the Wonthaggi Miners Women’s Auxiliary

The Auxiliary founding members were a group of striking miners’ wives, led by Secretary Agnes Chambers and Agnes Doig.

Arts, culture & heritage

Aunty Dorothy Peters

Aunty Dorothy ‘Dot’ Peters AM was a widely loved and respected Yarra Yarra woman.

Arts, culture & heritage

Aunty Margaret (Lilardia) Tucker MBE

Aunty Margaret Tucker MBE was an activist for Aboriginal rights.

Arts, culture & heritage

Barbara Rae

Barbara Rae was the top scorer and winning captain of the first women’s cricket match held in Australia.

Arts, culture & heritage

The women of Montsalvat

The women who were the driving force behind Montsalvat’s design, construction and culture.

The Women’s Public Art Program complements the Victorian Honour Roll of Women, which celebrates women’s outstanding leadership and contributions to life in Victoria.

Finding Her is Australia’s first interactive state-wide digital map spotlighting women’s commemorative sites. You can read about these public art projects and many more at Finding Her.

Follow along on social channels

Share the stories of inspirational Victorian women via DFFH’s social media channels.

Department of Families, Fairness and Housing

Victorian Women’s Public Art Program

The Victorian Women’s Public Art Program aims to address the underrepresentation of women and their achievements through enduring public artworks.

Arts, culture & historyWomen

Updated 25 February 2026

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