The social disadvantage and poor health of Indigenous Australians is well documented. Barriers to the well-being of Indigenous Australians have profound associations with historical factors and social disadvantage. Health is a reflection of the socioeconomic conditions of an individual and their community, known as the social determinants of health (SDoH) (Marmot, 2010, p. 3). SDoHs are recognized as perpetuating social disadvantage and are directly linked to the health inequalities experienced by Indigenous Australians (Baum, Bentley & Anderson, 2004, p.23; Reilly et al., 2011). The invasion by the English in 1788 marked the beginning of over 200 years of indigenous Australian struggles with a history of oppression, trauma, brutality, dispossession, displacement, marginalisation, poverty and ill health. Colonization and colonialism were harmful to the traditional ways of Indigenous Australian peoples with worldviews different from those of Europeans (Broome, 2002, pp. 30-35; MacRae et al., 2013). This paper identifies Indigenous Australian perspectives on health and explores the ongoing impact on health as a result of historical factors, past policies and practices. It will show the implications of the SDoH in relation to the health inequalities experienced by today's Indigenous Australians as a reflection of the past. The many different nations within Australia's indigenous population have a holistic view of health. This is understood as an interconnection of an individual within the social, emotional and physical well-being of the community with a strong spiritual component (Broome, 2002, p.15; Hampton & Toombs, 2013b, pp. 75). "Spirituality connects past, present and future." These are ties to the land……medium of paper……violence, alcohol and substance abuse behaviors (Osborne, Baum, Brown, 2013, p. 23). The social and health disadvantages of Indigenous Australians are well documented (Marmott, 2005, p.1099; Mathews, 1998). The historical experience of Aboriginal peoples has been one of loss of control and human rights. Dispossession and displacement have resulted in poverty, loss of identity, culture and spiritual connection, negatively impacting the health of generations of Indigenous Australians (Hampton & Toombs, 2013b, p. 79). The combination of SDoH and historical factors has led to poor lifestyle choices and antisocial behavior with the end result of an increase in diseases such as diabetes and kidney disease among contemporary Indigenous Australians (Calma, 2007, Mathews, 1998). “Everyone agrees that there is a fundamental social determinant of health, the effect of colonization” (CSDH, 2007, p..30)