Alternative names and name spellings
Colijan, Kolac Gnat (meaning belonging to sand), Colagdians
Language
About a hundred words of the Gulidjan language are known from five sources written during the time of settlement. The Gulidjan and the Wada Wurrung were able to understand each other to a degree but their languages were substantially different.
Relationships with other language groups
The Gulidjan intermarried with both the Djargurd Wurrung and Wada Wurrung.
Beliefs and laws
The Gulidjan clans each belonged to one of the moieties Gabadj (Black Cockatoo) or Guragidj (White Cockatoo). These were inherited matrilineally (a persons moiety was inherited from their mother). Marriage partners by law had to be of different moieties.
Although having a different moiety system, the Gulidjan intermarried with the patrilineal clans of the Wada Wurrung.
Way of life
It was reported that families of the Gulidjan (or at least those of the Gulidjan Balug clan) each had their own portion of Lake Colac frontage. Large areas of the plains were ephemeral wetlands interspersed with lakes which would have supplied plentiful game, fish and edible aquatic plants. Much of the Gulidjan lands were native grasslands with a diverse wildflowers flora rich with Murnong and other herbs and orchids with edible tuberous roots. To the south and east, the Barwon and Gellibrand Rivers flowing from the Otways supplied fish and fresh water clams. Open woodlands of the Otway Plains to the south would have supplied game such as wallaby and possum.
The park at the centre of the present day township of Colac was a wetland that is known to have been a much used camping area.
Source
Aboriginal languages and clans: An historical atlas of western and central Victoria 1800-1900 Clark, Ian D. Monash University 1990, ISBN 090968541X
The Present Day
To hear from a current local Colac Gulidjan, read this article from Otway Life magazine.
The lands of the Gulidjan
The numbers on this map indicate the approximate locations of clan estates. The entire landscape was a mosaic of such estates. Through intermarriage and other alliances people were able to access land and resources far beyond their own estates. This was negotiated through discussion, marriage, ceremony and adherence to law.
It is likely that there were more clans than listed here.
| No. | Clan name | Approximate location |
| 1. | Beeac Clan | Lake Beeac |
| 2. | Birregurra Clan | Birregurra |
| 3. | Guraldjin | 'Ingleby' station, on the Barwon River |
| 4. | Gulidjan Balug | Vicinity of Lake Colac |