Budj Bim heritage areas facts for kids

The Budj Bim heritage areas are very special places in Victoria, Australia. They include the Budj Bim National Heritage Landscape and the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape. The National Heritage Landscape was recognised in 2004. The Cultural Landscape became a World Heritage Site in 2019.

This area is important to the Gunditjmara people, who are local Aboriginal people. It includes an extinct volcano called Budj Bim (also known as Mount Eccles). This volcano erupted over 30,000 years ago. The Gunditjmara people have a creation story about Budj Bim. They also built an amazing system of aquaculture here. This system used lava flows to trap eels and fish. It is one of the oldest and largest aquaculture systems on Earth.

The Budj Bim Cultural Landscape has three special areas. These are the Indigenous Protected Areas called Tyrendarra, Kurtonitj, and Lake Condah. These areas are owned and looked after by the Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation.

Discovering the Ancient Past

The Volcano's Story

The Gunditjmara people have a creation story about the eruption of Budj Bim volcano. They believe an ancestral being named Budj Bim was revealed during this event. Scientists have dated the eruption to about 36,900 years ago. This makes it one of the oldest known oral traditions in the world. It also shows how long Aboriginal people have lived in Victoria.

Amazing Eel Traps

The ancient lava flow from Budj Bim changed the land. It created large wetlands. For thousands of years, the Gunditjmara people built an amazing aquaculture system. They used channels, weirs, and dams to guide water from Darlot Creek. This trapped short-finned eels (called kooyang) and other fish.

One of these eel trap systems at Lake Condah is 6,600 years old. This system provided food all year round. The Gunditjmara people would smoke the eels to preserve them. This allowed them to live in permanent stone houses. They were not just hunter-gatherers. They were also skilled farmers and engineers.

In 1841, a European named George Augustus Robinson saw these traps. He described them as looking like "the work of civilized man." For many years, this evidence was ignored. Then, in the 1970s, Peter Coutts found more fish-trapping systems. He found hundreds of metres of channels and stone walls. Some of these date back 8,000 years.

In 2014, Bruce Pascoe's book Dark Emu shared this knowledge widely. It showed that Indigenous Australians were not only hunters. They were also clever farmers who managed the land.

After the bushfires in 2019-2020, more hidden aquaculture areas were found. These were previously covered by plants. This shows there is still much to learn about this ancient system.

Difficult Times: Frontier Wars

From the late 1830s, European settlers arrived in western Victoria. This led to conflicts with the Gunditjmara people. These conflicts are known as the Eumeralla Wars. The rocky land helped the Gunditjmara, as it was hard for horses. However, many Aboriginal people were killed or forced from their homes.

The Victorian Government created special areas for Aboriginal people. Some Gunditjmara people were moved to the Lake Condah Mission in 1867.

Lake Condah: A Sacred Place

Lake Condah is a shallow lake, about 4 km long and 1 km wide. The Kerrup-Jmara clan of the Gunditjmara people lived here for thousands of years. They called the lake Tae Rak. They had a special responsibility to care for it.

In 2008, Lake Condah was officially returned to the Gunditjmara people. Work was done to restore the lake while protecting its cultural history.

The Mission Station

The Lake Condah Mission was set up in 1867 by the Church of England. It was about 3 km from Lake Condah. The Gunditjmara people refused to leave their traditional lands. So, this mission was created for them.

Laws like the Half-Caste Act 1886 caused great sadness. They allowed children of mixed European and Aboriginal heritage to be removed from their families. Many people were forced to leave the mission. Later, some were able to return.

The mission had 26 buildings, including a church called St Mary's. Local stone was used to build them. By the late 1880s, about 120 people lived there.

The mission closed in 1918. Most residents were moved to another mission. The Gunditjmara people wanted the land for farming, but this was refused. The land was sold to white soldiers. The mission school stayed open until 1948.

In 1950, the mission buildings, including the church, were destroyed. This was done to close the mission completely. The Lake Condah Mission was mentioned in the Bringing Them Home Report (1997). This report talked about Indigenous children who were taken from their families.

On 1 January 1987, the mission lands were returned to the Gunditjmara people. This was a very important step. Today, the Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation manages this land.

Protected Areas: Keeping Culture Alive

Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs)

Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs) are special areas of land and sea. They are managed by Indigenous groups to protect nature. This is done through agreements with the Australian Government.

There are three IPAs within the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape:

• Tyrendarra IPA (declared 2003)
• Kurtonitj IPA (declared 2009)
• Lake Condah IPA (declared 2010)

These areas are managed by the Budj Bim Rangers. They work for the Winda-Mara Aboriginal Corporation. This group focuses on health, education, and jobs for Indigenous people. They also work to protect the land.

Tyrendarra IPA (2003)

The Tyrendarra IPA covers about 248 hectares. It is on Darlot Creek. This area is a traditional meeting and camping place for the Gunditjmara people. It is also a very important ceremonial site.

The Winda-Mara Aboriginal Corporation manages this IPA. They are working to bring back the old wetlands system. They also plant native trees and remove weeds. They are even trying to restart the eel aquaculture business.

Lake Condah IPA (2010)

The Lake Condah IPA covers 1,700 hectares. It includes important wetlands next to the Budj Bim National Park. This area is home to special animals like the tiger quoll and powerful owl.

The Kerrup Gunditj clan built the huge eel trapping system here thousands of years ago. The Budj Bim Rangers protect these cultural sites. They also plant new trees and remove harmful weeds.

Kurtonitj IPA (2009)

Kurtonitj means "crossing place." It is a sacred place for the Gunditjmara people. This IPA covers 353 hectares of wetland. It has deep and shallow marshes.

Kurtonitj has ancient stone eel traps and channels. There are also sites of old homes and trees used for smoking eels. Since 2019, Kurtonitj is part of the World Heritage Listing. Plans are being made for boardwalks and a reconstructed stone village.

Budj Bim National Heritage Landscape (NHL, 2004)

The Budj Bim National Heritage Landscape was added to the National Heritage List in 2004. It includes the Tyrendarra Area and the Mount Eccles Lake Condah Area. This larger area includes Budj Bim National Park and the Condah Mission.

Land Management

The Winda-Mara Aboriginal Corporation's Land Management Unit looks after over 3,000 hectares of Aboriginal-owned land. Their team of Indigenous Rangers, called the Budj Bim Rangers, do all the land management. This includes protecting cultural sites, controlling weeds and pests, and maintaining facilities. They work with the Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners and other groups.

Budj Bim Cultural Landscape (WHL, 2019)

The Budj Bim Cultural Landscape was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2019. It includes Budj Bim National Park, the Budj Bim Indigenous Protected Area, Tyrendarra Indigenous Protected Area, and Lake Condah Mission.

These three areas show the amazing aquaculture system built by the Gunditjmara. The lava flow from Budj Bim connects these areas. The Gunditjmara people see the volcano as an Ancestral Being.

UNESCO says this network is one of the oldest and largest aquaculture systems on Earth. It shows how the Gunditjmara people have lived on and managed their land for thousands of years. Their knowledge is passed down through stories and continued cultural practices.

The site shows how clever the Gunditjmara people were as engineers and eel fishers. It also shows their strong connection to the environment. The landscape is well-preserved and tells a story of human interaction with nature.

Who Looks After It?

Many groups work together to manage the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape. These include the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape World Heritage Steering Committee, the Australian Government, and the Victorian Government. The Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation and the Winda-Mara Aboriginal Corporation are also key partners.

All of the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape is owned or managed by Aboriginal people. It is managed in a way that respects their traditional rights. All Gunditjmara cultural heritage on the land is protected by Victorian law.

Recent Events

During the 2019-2020 bushfire season, fires affected parts of the Cultural Heritage Landscape. Luckily, the stone fish traps and stone house sites were not damaged. Firefighters and mild weather helped to quickly control the fires. Lake Condah and Condah Mission were not directly affected.

After the fires, more areas of the ancient aquaculture system were found. These had been hidden under plants. This shows how much more there is to discover about this incredible place.

Crater of Budj Bim (then known as Mount Eccles)

Lake Surprise, Budj Bim—Mt Eccles National Park