This entailed formally presenting him with the symbols of manhood: strips of possum skin tied around his biceps; the gombert (reed necklace) around his neck; given his ilbi-jerri, a sharp and narrow bone or nose-peg; and his branjep, the apron worn by men to cover their genitals.

[13] In the role of Ngurungaeta, Barak invited settlers to the reserve,[5] and developed relationships with key colonial figures, including governors, politicians and men and women who became his friends and patrons.

[14] Scottish philanthropist Anne Fraser Bon was a long time supporter and friend of Barak, including during the campaigns to prevent the closure of Coranderrk reserve.

[15] Graham Berry was also a key contact during the 1880s[14] when the Aboriginal Protection Board[1] sought to have Coranderrk closed, and Barak was welcomed at government house by Sir Henry Brougham Loch.

From the 1880s until his death Barak painted and drew, using a combination of European and traditional materials and techniques, including ochre, charcoal, watercolour and pencil.

[22] Barak's paintings are also located in international collections including the Ethnological Museum of Berlin, the Völkerkundemuseum Herrnhut,[citation needed] and the Musée D’ethnographie De Neuchâtel.

[25] A shield and a painting, gifted by Barak in 1897 to his friends, a Swiss family who owned vineyards in the Yarra Valley, were auctioned by Sotheby's in May 2022, by descendants living in Switzerland following the death of Pascal de Pury.

Another branch of the de Pury family who lived in Victoria had earlier donated all the William Barak works in their possession to the Yarra Ranges Regional Museum.

[1] In 2004 Nillumbik Shire Council registered the place name Barak Bushlands, previously known as the Falkiner Street Reserve, along the Diamond Creek in Eltham.

[28] In 2005 a 525 m (1,722 ft) footbridge called the "William Barak Bridge" was constructed stretching from Birrarung Marr to the MCG,[1] improving the link between some of Melbourne's biggest sports and entertainment venues and the heart of the CBD.

Its central section features a welcome song sung in Woiwurrung by Wurundjeri Elder, and Barak's descendant, Joy Murphy Wandin.