Earlier this year, I was in Victoria, Australia, to view the World Heritage Site, Budj Bim Cultural Landscape.
I couldn't find much information online back then, even though it had become a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2019, though I missed some sites like Budj Bim National Park and there seems to be a bit more now (e.g. Cultural experiences at Budj Bim - Visit Great Ocean Road). I am still writing up my experience:
Budj Bim can be combined into a multi-day trip with the Great Ocean Road; it's just over an hour from Allansford, the end of the Road.
One complication when visiting Budj Bim is that there's no cellular reception in many areas (or at least I didn't on have any on my cheapskate SIMBA plan). So you need to do your research and definitely download an offline map before going there.
There're a few sites in the area. We first visited the Budj Bim National Park Picnic Area (because Google led me there - this is good for Park purposes, but not UNESCO purposes. But there was some information about the site in general here). Then we went to Tae Rak (Lake Condah). Finally we visited the Tyrendarra IPA (Tyrendarra Indigenous Protected Area).
Map:
"Welcome to
Budj Bim -
Gunditjmara
Country
Budj Bim Cultural Landscape
is on Tungatt Mirring (Stone
Country) created by the eruptions
of the Budj Bim volcano.
More than 6,600 years ago, the Gunditjmara
people built a complex network of aquaculture
systems among these lava flows, and settled here
in permanent villages of wuurn (stone houses).
Now recognised as one of the world's largest and
oldest freshwater aquaculture systems, Budj Bim
was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List
in 2019 for its Outstanding Universal Value.
We welcome you to visit and learn, and to
experience the hidden secrets of this
extraordinary place."
"YOU ARE HERE (picnic area)
Budj Bim National Park
Budj Bim exploded some 37,000
years ago, spreading its waves of
lava across the land, altering the
course of streams and rivers."
Sites of interest in Budj Bim:
"Tae Rak (Lake Condah)
Ingeniously engineered
aquaculture systems were built
here by the Kerrup Gunditj clan
of the Gunditjmara Nation."
"Lake Condah Mission
Lake Condah Mission is full of
memories ... of sorrow and joy,
dispossession and pain,
resilience and hope."
"Kurtonitj
Kurtonitj contains a complex
aquaculture system, managed
with care and precision according
to the changes of the seasons."
"Tyrendarra Indigenous
Protected Area (IPA)
The Tyrendarra area is a traditional
meeting place for the Gunditjmara
people - stone house villages and
aquaculture systems were spread
across this important ceremonial site."
We did not visit Lake Condah Mission or Kurtonitj; the lady at Tae Rak (the aquaculture centre) recommended the Tyrendarra IPA.
As is usual in Australia, aboriginal religion is stated as fact:
"The area surrounding Budj
Bim National Park is the
traditional homeland of
several clans of the
Gunditjmara Nation.
One of the ancestor Creation Beings
brought life to the. land during the
Dreaming. The mountain named
Budj Bim is his forehead,
the stones his teeth. The land is part of Dreaming trails
and an important ceremonial site."
Importantly, the picnic area had toilets. There were also some multi-hour hikes and a cave (we did none of these).
"Budj Bim - revealed
The oral history of the Gunditjmara people talks about
the land and trees dancing as one of their ancestral
creators revealed part of himself in the landscape as Budj Bim
Budj Bim revealed
'At the dawn of time, it was the ancestral beings -
part human, part beast - who brought what was
previously barren land to life. At the end of their
Dreaming journeys, the ancestral beings left aspects
of themselves behind transformed into part of the
landscape'.
Gunditjmara people witnessed an ancestral 'Creation
Being' revealed in this landscape. In the traditional
story passed down by the elders for the thousand
or more generations fountains of frothy scoria lava
spewed high into the air, settling back as a 50 metre
high cone representing the forehead of Budj Bim
and the stones are interpreted as Budj Bim's teeth.
The Budj Bim Landscape
A truly fascinating place Budj Bim is one of
several places in this rich cultural landscape
formed by powerful creation forces.
'Every aspect of the landscape is imbued with
meaning and a sense of purpose. In the absence
of the law men, Budj Bim's site is guarded by
the gneering or (weeping) she-oaks that stand
like sentries close to the summit'.
Only the law man of a clan can stand on top of Budj Bim.
From the top of Budj Bim a Clan's law man can trace a straight
line of peaks from the northern Serra Range at Gariwerd
(the Grampians ranges), down to Mutt Te Tehoke (Mt Abrupt)
at the southern end of Gariwerd, closer to Tappoc (Mt Napier)
and then south to Cape Bridgewater on the coast.
These sites mark a journey of the creator beings. Off the coast
are the forbidding cliffs of Deen Maar (Lady Julia Percy
Island) guarding the final resting place of the spirits of
Gunditjmara people."
"Geology- another story
The traditional creation story is parallel to the scientific
explanation of violent volcanic eruptions of gas
and lasa that gare rise to this place; known originally as
Budj Bim and more recently as Mt Eccles
A landscape Shaped by wave
after wave of lava flows
Budj Bim (Mt Eccles) and Tappoc (Mt Napier) are
among the youngest of some 400 volcanoes
that erupted across south-west Victoria,
starting around four million years ago.
Pouring out of gaping holes on top of
a gentle rise, the sight of glowing red basalt
lava forming Budj Bim must have caused
consternation, as well as awe, among the
Gunditjmara people.
Until the last ice age ended some 12,000 years
ago, the sea was much lower and Victoria
was connected to Tasmania by land.
Through all these dramatic changes, the Gunditjmara
bore witness, adapting their way of life to the rhythms
of the evolving land and sea.
Budj Bim is a fissure volcano
Budj Bim's (Mt Eccles) many
volcanic features can be
discovered on the walking tracks
including lava canals, collapsed
tunnels, lava caves, a natural
bridge, stony rises, scoria cones
and volcanic vents. Lake Surprise
is a crater-lake hiding three
submerged vents.
Tappoc (Mt Napier) is a
separate, single volcano to the
north. Lava spilled from Tappoc
and Budj Bim to flow, blocking
and diverting watercourses in
it's path. New rivers, creeks, swamps and lakes
were formed. Local volcanic features include
Tumuli Blisters, Byaduk Caves, Tyrendarra Lava Flow
and Lake Condah."
"Managing Country together
The idea of a Co-operative Management Council with the Gunditjmara as Traditional
Owners working in partnership with government, was a long held aspiration ...
The park has a dedicated ranger oerseeing its management including visitor safety,
koala management, fire protection, maintenance of camping and picnic facilities
and a host of walking, driving and cycling tracks.'"
"Budj Bim (Mt Eccles) is
the first national park to be
Co-managed in Victoria
On 30 March 2007 in an outdoor courtroom in
Mt Eccles National Park, also known as Budj Bim, the
Gunditjmara rights and interests to their traditional lands
were recognised for the first time under Australian law.
The Federal Court of Australia recognised the Gunditjmara
People's Native Title rights over 140,000 ha.
Budj Bim Council
The Budj Bim Council forms part of the Native Title
Settlement Agreement between the Gunditjmara and the
Victorian Government and formalises the Co-operative
Management Agreement for Mount Eccles National Park (Budj Bim).
The Co-operative Management Agreement covers all of the Mount
Eccles National Park (Budj Bim) area and gives the Traditional Owners
a formal body to represent them on issues of management of this
land, and input into any future planning."
"Nature of Country
"This was like a supermarket. But it was also a chemist's
shop. Fish, plant life, medicinals that fed and looked after each
and every one of these peoples in the Country, that stretches
from Budj Bim all the way down to the Sea" Uncle Ken Saunders
Kangaroos, wallabies and possums are plentiful
and provided protein for a healthy diet and skins
for warmth. Birds and insects also provided a
source of food.
Plants and animals also provided many materials
used in daily Gunditjmara life including resin
from wattles used as a glue and the sinews
from kangaroos used as a binding agent."
"A wealth of biodiversity
The Gunditjmara people flourished in this bountiful landscape.
The Budj Bim landscape abounds with a broad variety of plants
and animals both edible and medicinal."
There was also a Natural Bridge and a Lake Surprise Lookout. We saw at least the latter later.
We then went to the Tae Rak aquaculture centre.
"Welcome to Budj Bim
Cultural Landscape
Gunditjmara Country
Always was.
Always will be."
I'm guessing you're not allowed to do archaeological research to find out if there was anyone here before them, or when they migrated there.
Curiously, it's still (also) known as Lake Condah.
"Tae Rak is the traditional
home for the Kerrup
Gunditj clan of the
Gunditjmara Nation.
Our ancestors engineered 13 large
aquaculture systems around Tae
Rak to harvest kooyang
( short - finned eels ) as they migrated
through the creeks and rivers
GUNDITJMARA
COUNTRY
Care for Country
Please treat this special place with respect.
Learn from your experience.
Leave only footprints."
The aquaculture centre area was quite nicely done up, though the centre itself was small.
"Budj Bim
Provides
Tae Rak (Lake Condah) and
the Budj Bim landscape
together form the oldest
freshwater aquaculture
system in the world.
LAKE CONDAH IS THE HEART OF
GUNDITJMARA COUNTRY.
WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN WITH THE LAKE AND
IT HAS ALWAYS LOOKED AFTER US ... IF THE
LAKE IS GOOD THEN WE ARE GOOD.
KEN SAUNDERS, GUNDITJMARA ELDER"
Aquaculture centre
Most of the centre was taken up by a cafe, and we were just in time for the last of the cooked food. And they had WiFi too.
Menu
Lake from centre
We had the Eel (Kooyang) Tasting Plate Small. It was mostly good.
Cafe interior
Hooked knives (for the eel I guess)
On the eels: "The amazing
world of kooyang
The kooyang of this area are actually born
and die in the Coral Sea near Vanuatu.
Juvenile kooyang (elvers) travel
from the Coral Sea to Tae Rak
(Lake Condah), where they grow
and live for up to 20 years.
Mature kooyang then journey
back out to sea to spawn and
die - beginning the cycle again.
Channels created as part of the
Gunditjmara's aquaculture system
funnel the kooyang into tightly
woven grass nets.
The Gunditjmara know that when
the wattles bloom, the kooyang are
on the move and can be easily
netted and trapped.
After trapping, they
are stored in ponds
for later use."
Eel life cycle:
SPAWNING: The old 'silver' kooyang migrate some
4,000km to the Coral Sea, where they
spawn and then die.
EGGS: Their eggs hatch and become gum leaf-shaped larvae that drift
on equatorial ocean currents, reaching the Australian
continental shelf where they transform to become 'glass eels'
LEPTOCEPHALUS
GLASS EEL: Tiny transparent wriggling 'glass eels' hitch a ride south
on the East Australian Current, leaving the sea at six
months old to head upstream into an estuary or river.
ELVER: Juveniles eels known as 'elvers' whose pigment darkens from
clear to brown as they swim upstream over the next.3-5
years, grow from 60mm to become some 30cm long.
YELLOW
EEL: Their final home is in the still waters of lakes, ponds and
swamps where they enter maturity as a yellow eel (actually olive
green/brown to be precise) and live out the next 10-15 years.
SILVER EEL: Turning silver and migrating downstream
during early summer and autumn, they
head back out to sea to breed."
Eels in tank
Path to lake
"Perfect
spot for
aquaculture
At Tae Rak, the Gunditjmara
built a network of aquaculture
systems that operated all
year round, whatever the
season or level of water.
They modified more than
100 square kilometres of wetlands,
by engineering interconnected
channels that allowed them to move
water, eels and fish around at will.
The output from the
aquaculture system
would have fed many
thousands of people."
"Kooyang (eels) -
water cleaners
Every kooyang in the wetlands
acts as a cleaning agent.
They eat snails and insects, and the remains of
larger animals that have fallen in the water. The
Gunditjmara also feed them with meat to ensure
they have plenty of food.
Kooyang need the presence of lakes and
wetlands like this to grow and survive. Droughts
and the draining of the lake have significantly
reduced kooyang numbers in Tae Rak."
"Sustaining life
Many living things rely
on the water systems
around Tae Rak.
Swans and ducks sail on the
water while platypus swim
beneath. Wildlife such as
kangaroos, bandicoots and
echidna wander through the
wattle and gum trees.
With above average rainfall, a mild
climate, and wetlands teeming with
aquatic plants and wildlife, the Budj Bim
landscape provided a rich environment
in which many creatures thrived."
"Lost waters of Tae Rak
The arrival of whalers and pastoralists
in the 1830s cut off access to land
and water, and began decades of
resistance by the Gunditjmara people.
Tae Rak (Lake Condah) was drained in the
late 19th century and the construction of a
rural drainage scheme in 1954 finally
ended the bounty of the wetlands.
We have been different since the lake was drained by
authorities, but with water soon to return, we will achieve
an important healing for the Country and for ourselves.
KEN SAUNDERS, GUNDITJMARA ELDER"
UNESCO sign: "Awarded in 2019, UNESCO
World Heritage status is the
culmination of years of effort to
protect the ancient freshwater
aquaculture system of the
Budj Bim Cultural Landscape.
Our determined struggle has led to
the restoration of Tae Rak (Lake
Condah) and the construction of a
new weir - which regulates water
levels in the same way initiated by
our ancestors.
Budj Bim bears testament to the rich
cultural traditions and practical
ingenuity of the Gunditjmara people."
Lake landscape
Next, we went to the Tyrendarra Indigenous
Protected Area. This was interesting as there were some archaeological remains.
Sign. I'm not sure what was protected, or how.
"The Tyrendarra area is a
traditional meeting .
place for the Gilgar
Gunditj clan of, the
Gunditjmara Nation.
Living around the abundant
wetlands of Budj Bim, our
ancestors developed a deep
understanding of their environment
and the skills required to
sustainably manage it."
Path
Birds in stream
"Welcome brothers
and sisters to
Gunditjmara Country"
Stream
There was some information in the pavillion the metal path led up to:
"Welcome to
Budj Bim -
Gunditjmara Mirring
Tungatt Mirring
(Stone Country)
This rich volcanic
landscape is part of the
traditional lands of the
Gunditjmara people.
Our ancestors enjoyed comfortable,
sociable and spiritually.rich lives here with
stable year-round food supplies. They
engineered ingenious aquaculture systems
and built sturdy stone house villages. They
were farmers, traders and conservationists
- and warriors of great renown.
Ancient
aquaculture
system
These extensive
aquaculture networks have
been dated to 6,600 years
old, making them some of
the oldest in the world.
In July 2019, Budj Bim was formally
recognised for its Universal Cultural Value
and inscribed on the UNESCO World
Heritage List."
"Tyrendarra -
where rivers
meet
A perfect place
for a village
Here at Tyrendarra, Fitzroy
River and Killara (Darlot
Creek) join to create ponds
and the vast Palawarra
Wetland.
This was the perfect site for a village, sitting
on top of a well-drained ridge and
surrounded by an abundance of food and
other resources.
A myth
busted
Permanent villages were
dotted throughout the
area beside each
aquaculture system. These
included Lake Gorrie,
Allambie, Kurtonitj, Tae
Rak (Lake Condah), and
here at Tyrendarra.
This demolishes the myth that all Aboriginal
people were nomadic hunter-gatherers. The
Gunditjmara were - and continue to be - a
nation of farmers, traders and
conservationists."
"Budj Bim -
the creative
force
Volcanic
landscape
An ancestral Creation Being,
is the creative force that
formed Budj Bim and
made this resource-rich
wetland terrain.
Budj Bim translates as 'High Head', and is the
Gunditjmara name for one of Australia's
youngest volcanoes.
Budj Bim's eruption began some 37,000 years
ago. A tongue of lava blocked natural drainage
systems, locking up water across 100 square
kilometres in lakes, ponds and swamps.
Vibrant
wetlands
The wetlands and stony
rises created by Budj Bim
teem with native wildlife,
including kooyang (eels),
turtles, and more than 100
species of birds.
Aquatic plants provide rich delicacies,
including water ribbons for salads and tubers
for roasting, as well as materials for
basket-making, mats, string and eel traps."
"Villages
of stone
houses
Secrets
revealed
The Budj Bim area is
covered with hundreds of
stone circles - the
foundations of
dome-shaped wuurn
(houses).
One of the largest wuurn in Tyrendarra
village measures five metres in diameter -
large enough to house three families.
Return to
the earth
In the 1830s and 1840s,
the Gunditjmara fought
many battles to protect
their homelands during
the long Eumeralla War.
While their bravery and blood delayed
defeat, the survivors' villages were
destroyed and they were exiled from their
land into a single, tiny mission reserve.
The signs of our people soon returned to
the earth, leaving few traces."
"An ancient
legacy
A landscape
transformed
Over the millennia, our
ancestors built vast
aquaculture systems to take
advantage of every lake,
pond and swamp at every
conceivable water level.
Channels were excavated to direct water into
fish traps.
Barrier weirs, V-shaped traps and narrapeen
(woven baskets) were used to channel and
catch kooyang (eels) and other fish."
"Budj Bim
provides
Boundless
food
A steady supply of
high-protein foods and
reliable water supplies
made a settled lifestyle
at Budj Bim possible.
Shallow swamps provide perfect habitat
for vast numbers of migrating kooyang
(eels) and many other fish. The seasonal
swamps also provided Gunditjmara with
staple plant foods and bird eggs."
Map of village: "Tyrendarra
Village
The stone circles that you can
see from the boardwalk are the
surviving footings of wuurn
(stone houses) that once made
up this village at Tyrendarra."
Remains
"Perfect place
for a village
The village was ideally positioned
on high ground above the flood
levels of Killara (Darlot Creek) and
nearby Fitzroy River."
"Wuurns also featured a series of connected
rooms. Gunditjmara have complex kinship
'arrangements. The linked houses were used
to accommodate extended families."
Superimposed huts
"Domed Huts -
strong and warm
In front of you is the base of
a wuurn's circular stone walls.
The Budj Bim Cultural Landscape has many
small villages, small clusters and singular
houses scattered along the lava flow. These
houses provide warmth and shelter from the
cold winds and rain, and provide a cool place
to rest during the heat of the summer.
Wuurn sizes varied, with
the larger ones up to five
metres in diameter.
Image: Robert Brough
Smyth (1878)"
Foundations
"Life of the
wetlands
Killara (Darlot Creek) is a major
route for kooyang (eels) and
other fish migrating in and out
of the Budj Bim wetlands.
Killara provides many staple
foods such as rush tubers,
kooyang (eels) and birds eggs.
Killara means 'never dry' or 'permanent' in
the Dhauwurd wurrung language. It is
continuously fed by springs on its journey
from Lake Condah (Tae Rak) to the ocean."
"What's
Cooking?
The Gunditjmara
enjoyed lots of
good food here.
Food was prepared, placed into
grass-lined baskets, and covered in
underground oven-pits with heated
stones at the base. Then as now,
meats were chargrilled on the fire."
"Village of
stone houses
Beehive-shaped domed
dwellings called wuurn were
made with tree limbs, earth and
stone, and covered with grass.
Openings faced to
the east or northeast
to avoid the bitterly
cold winter winds.
Wuurn were
clustered together
to create villages."
"Ancient
and ongoing
For more than a thousand
generations, the Gunditjmara
have lived on this land.
They have seen the lava from
volcanoes flow, all the while
painstakingly digging out channels
and building weirs - transforming
the landscape into a giant fish trap.
These engineering feats were
crucial for providing sufficient
eels and fish to sustain a village
the size of Tyrendarra."
"The Engineerirg of Budj Bim
Engineering Leads
to a Stronger Society
The work made possible by the Budj Bim landscape is a unique
Australian example of the link from engineering through
permanent food supply to cultural change
The permanent food supply led to a settled society in villages
of stone huts, some interlinked for families, the development
of a trading economy and the establishment of higher levels of
governance through the hereditary succession of chiefs
Recent archaeological investigations have shown how the
channels, ponds and fish trap weir structures were developed
continually to account for changing water levels with the
seasons and longer term climate changes.
Budj Bim Landscape
Eruptions of the volcano at Mt Eccles last took place about
30,000 years ago. The lava diverted the water courses, creating
Lake Condah and Condah Swamp, and provided an ideal
resource for building and engineering structures.
The traditionally engineered aquaculture of the Budj Bim
landscape extends throughout the Mt Eccles lava flow and its
wetlands. The Gunditjmara engineers developed and managed
the hydraulics required to farm and harvest kooyang
(short-finned eel) and other fish.
Archaeological research is continuing, but present estimates
suggest that the first structures date from 6600 years ago and
were in use until the 19th century.
Australia's First Works
of Civil Engineering?
For the first charter of the Institution of Civil Engineers in 1828,
Thomas Tredgold provided the definition "... the profession of a
civil engineer, being the art of directing the greet sources of power
In nature for the use and convenience of man." Nowhere is this
better exemplified early in human history than at these sites.
Stone channels, weirs, traps and ponds were corstructed from te
readily available basalt stone from the Mt Eccles lava flow.
The stone infrastructure was activated by the fluctuating height
of the water moving in and out through the aquaculture systems
at different levels.
Gunditjmara people would herd and move the kooyang and othe
fish through the systems for storing in ponds or harvesting the
kooyang through the stone traps and into woven baskets.
The benefit of a stable climate and intimate knowledge of the
Budj Bim landscape enabled the Gunditjmara clans to lie and
work alongside their aquaculture systems for thousands of years.
The traditional practice of engineering the infrastructure to
maintain its integrity and purpose requires a continuing
knowledge of climate, hydraulics and the Budj Bim landscape.
Secret of the Wetlands
' ... this is a work of undoubted antiquity, but to what remote
period of time it owes its origin no one will ever know. It stands
as a dateless monument of incredible labor visible through the
volcanic debris discharged from Mount Eccles and Napier, and
the work and its design were worthy of their builders'.
- Thomas Worsnop, The Prehistoric Arts, Manufactures, Works,
Weapons, etc. of the Aborigines of Australia, 1897.
Alexander Ingram (1841 - 1913) was the Surveyor ho
supervised the first major drainage works of the Condah
Swamp and Lake Condah starting in 1887. Ingram had visited
and documented the traditional aquaculture systems during
the last part of the 19th century.
The Surveyor had sought information on the hydraulics of the
engineered landscape from Gunditjmara people still living
along the swamp and lake. Thomas White (ca. 1832-1892)
of the Gunditjmara lived and died at "Allumyung" on the Louth
Swamp arm of Condah Swamp and provided Ingram with
intimate knowledge of the aquaculture."
"NATIONAL
HERITAGE
LIST
Budj Bim National
Heritage Landscape
The Budj Bim story began around 30 000 years
ago, when the Gunditjmara people witnessed
the volcanic eruption of Mount Eccles and the
ancestral creation being Budj Bim revealed
himself in the landscape.
The lava flow from Mount Eccles changed the
drainage pattern in this part of western Victoria,
creating large wetlands. The Gunditjmara people
engineered a highly sophisticated system of
weirs, channels, water races and fish traps for
growing and harvesting fish, particularly eels.
These achievements illustrate the advanced
trade and social systems that Indigenous society
had established before European settlement.
The remains of this aquaculture system are
still visible today, and tell the story of a great
chapter in the history of Indigenous Australia.
Budj Bim received Australia's highest heritage
honour on 20 July 2004 when it was included
in the National Heritage List.
This 1872 possum skin cloak depicts the
Gunditjmara clan areas, Some of the panels
illustrate the aquaculture landscape."
There were some recreations/diagrams of traps:
"Eel Trap
TRADITIONAL EEL BASKET
A woven eel basket would have been placed in the gap
between the rocks to trap the eels."
"Wooden Fish Trap
TRADITIONAL WOODEN
FISH TRAP
This type of fish trap would have been constructed
where stones were unavailable on deeper and wider waterways.
More than one eel basket could be used."
"Villages
of wuurn
Wuurn (stone houses) were sturdy
dome-shaped dwellings constructed
on low stone walls, with roofs made
from raised tree limbs clad in mud."
I saw a wallaby, but it ran away
Kangaroo hunting silhouette
Bird in stream
Cows in field
We then went back to the Picnic area to look at the scenic view of Lake Surprise (Mount Eccles Lake). It was okay.
There was a digital experience centre, but it was closed.
"Budj Bim
Dreaming
story
The Earth was once flat and barren.
A Dreaming story depicts the act of
conception or birth that determines
everything about a place and the way things
are. It was here at Budj Bim that one of our
most important Creation Beings emerged
from the land, his head arising as a frothing
fountain of lava."
As with Si Thep (see upcoming post), Budj Bim is not a top tier UNESCO (some tier I might come up with a ranking of the ones I've been to). However, if you're not going to be far away, it could be worth a visit. It's definitely not as out of the way as Si Thep.
