Evonne Fay Goolagong was born in Griffith, New South Wales. She and her family are Aboriginal Australians. They belong to the Wiradjuri nation. Evonne was the third of eight children. She grew up in the small farming town of Barellan. Her father, Kenneth Goolagong, was a sheep shearer. Her family was poor. At this time, many Aboriginal people around Australia faced discrimination; they were treated differently by White Australians. However, Goolagong has said that she did not experience discrimination whilst living at Barellan.