How it began
The system lies in the traditional Country of the Gunditjmara people in south-western Victoria, in the territory of present-day Australia. UNESCO states that over a period of at least 6,600 years the Gunditjmara created, manipulated and modified the local water flows and wetlands on the Budj Bim lava flow. The volcano Budj Bim, formerly called Mount Eccles, last erupted about 7,000 years ago, and its lava diverted natural water flow to form Tae Rak (Lake Condah) and the surrounding swamps.
How it works
Basalt from the lava flows was used to build stone channels, weirs and traps within the natural features of the land. Shallow channels, some up to 200 meters long, were dug out of the rock to divert water, and stones were arranged into V-shaped traps and weirs. Short-finned eels, called kooyang, were caught by placing long funnel-shaped woven baskets in the weirs. Some eels were kept alive in holding and growing ponds to be eaten later, and others were preserved by smoking in the hollows of large trees.
Who pushed back
Whalers and sealers began to affect the Gunditjmara from around 1810, and European settlers arrived in the Portland area in 1834. Conflict in the 1840s became known as the Eumeralla Wars, and by 1846 Gunditjmara resistance had been suppressed. The Gunditjmara refused to settle at Framlingham Mission and identified Lake Condah as their place. Lake Condah Mission opened in 1867 and closed in 1918, and the mission lands were returned to the Gunditjmara in 1987.
What changed first
The eels, along with fish and turtles taken from the same system, gave the Gunditjmara a plentiful food supply. UNESCO describes the system as the economic and social base of Gunditjmara society for six millennia. Eels were a valuable commodity and were traded at meetings with other Aboriginal language groups. The remains of many circular stone-walled houses are spread through the same landscape.
Where it stands today
Gunditjmara traditional owners first proposed the site for World Heritage listing in 1989. On July 6, 2019, the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape became the first site in Australia inscribed on the World Heritage List purely for its Aboriginal cultural significance. UNESCO notes that the system retains its form and function, with water still flowing and kooyang still present, and that knowledge of it continues to be passed down through Gunditjmara Elders.
