Aboriginal Eel Aquaculture

Network of shallow races and ponds for eel harvesting.

Aboriginal eel aquaculture system in
Gunditjmara Country, South West Victoria, Australia.

María José Zúñiga
2020

The Budj Bim Cultural Landscape is located in the Country of the Gunditjmara aboriginal people in Victoria, Australia. Budj Bim (known today as Mount Eccles) is the volcano that thousands of years ago caused an extensive lava flow that transformed the landscape and provided the base for the aquaculture system developed by the Gunditjmara people. The extensive network of canals, traps and weirs was once a highly productive aquaculture system constructed to trap, store and harvest eels. Today, it is recognized as one of the world’s most extensive and oldest aquaculture systems.

Catchment plan showing the lava flow (orange) and the wetland (azure).

Large parts of the system have now disappeared, not only because of environmental changes through time but also because of the modifications done to the site by the British colonization. However, several areas have been protected and reconstructed, showing a network of components that blend in with the landscape. The traces that can be seen now, hold the cultural practice of many generations which had a deep understanding of their land and lived a dynamic relationship with water, materials, nature, and climate.

The most recognizable features are the constructions made with the placement of basalt rocks. This material was used for constraining the water in canals, shallow races or sinkholes. The rocks were piled up across waterways to form weirs and dams. Timber fences became traps in which woven baskets were placed to catch the eels.

Circular Stories

One of the most remarkable aspects of the Gunditjmara people is their extensive knowledge and understanding of their land. This knowledge was passed through generations through oral transmission for thousands of years, and allowed them to obtain an active and profound relationship with nature and the living beings that surround them.

The productivity of the system as well as the settlement of the communities was largely determined by the different seasons. Another factor that was key for the productivity of the system is the understanding of the eel’s life cycle and their migratory behaviour. The kooyang (short-finned eels), spend the majority of their life cycle in fresh waters but return to their spawning grounds along the Coral Sea. The eels have five stages in their life cycle, as adults, they migrate to the sea during summer and autumn for spawning, and return to the fresh water during winter and spring.

Water cycle and eel growth cycle in Gunditjmara Country.
Gunditjmara people.

Smoking trees

Smoking trees

Manna Gum and Red Gum trees were used to smoke eels and fish. Existing hollows at the base of a tree were expanded and burnt out forming a chimney. Eels and fishes were hung inside the chimney and smoke from the small fire lit inside the base of the tree would start the smoking process. Smoking eels and fishes preserved the meat to be stored for when food was scarce, or to be traded to other areas.

  • Project: Aboriginal eel Aquaculture – Gunditjmara Country.
  • Climate: Temperate – Warm-summer Mediterranean
  • Year: 4000 BC
  • Water type: Fresh water
  • Landscape: Volcano stream
  • Meaning: Utilitarian
  • Water workers and users: Aboriginal fishers
  • Material: Manna Gum (Eucalyptus viminalis) and Red Gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis)
  • Temporality: Seasonal, autumn and winter
  • Use or Function: Smoking eel and fish

Gnarraban

Gnarraban
Eel basket

Eel baskets were placed in gaps of stone and wooden fish traps with an opening to capture mature eels and let immature eels through. The baskets were mostly woven with Common Reed and Spear grass found in the area. Basket making was commonly performed by women.

  • Project: Aboriginal eel Aquaculture – Gunditjmara Country.
  • Climate: Temperate – Warm-summer Mediterranean
  • Year: 4000 BC
  • Water type: Fresh water
  • Landscape: Volcano stream
  • Meaning: Utilitarian
  • Water workers and users: Aboriginal fishers
  • Material: Common Reed (Phragmites australis) and Spear grass (Heteropogon contortus)
  • Temporality: Seasonal, autumn and winter
  • Use or Function: Capture eels

Weir

Weir

Flexible walls constructed with eroded basalt rock, positioned across waterways and wetland areas. Used to capture large pools of water where eels and fish could be kept fresh, during autumn and winter, for maturing or to catch when required.

  • Project: Aboriginal eel Aquaculture – Gunditjmara Country.
  • Climate: Temperate – Warm-summer Mediterranean
  • Year: 4000 BC
  • Water type: Fresh water
  • Landscape: Volcano stream
  • Altitude: 20-30 m.a.s.l
  • Soil condition: Peat and basalt rocks
  • Material: Basalt rocks
  • Temporality: Seasonal, autumn and winter
  • Form: Point
  • Use or Function: Aquaculture

Trap

Trap

Artificial and built-up structures with gaps or sections for water to flow through and where a Gnarraban (basket) can be placed. These structures were positioned across races and natural drainage lines. The traps could be built as V-shaped basalt block walls, or as a woven timber fence.

  • Project: Aboriginal eel Aquaculture – Gunditjmara Country.
  • Climate: Temperate – Warm-summer Mediterranean
  • Year: 4000 BC
  • Water type: Freshwater
  • Landscape: Volcano stream
  • Altitude: 20-30 m.a.s.l
  • Soil condition: Peat and basalt rocks
  • Material: Basalt rocks or timber
  • Temporality: Seasonal, autumn and winter
  • Form: Point
  • Use or Function: Aquaculture

Race

Race

Artificial water line built above the ground and partially delimited with eroded basalt rocks. Some are more than 50m long and 0.75m high, used generally for directing water.

  • Project: Aboriginal eel Aquaculture – Gunditjmara Country.
  • Climate: Temperate – warm summer Mediterranean
  • Year: 4000 BC
  • Water type: Freshwater
  • Landscape: Volcano stream
  • Altitude: 20-30 m.a.s.l
  • Soil condition: Peat and basalt rocks
  • Material: Basalt rocks
  • Temporality: Seasonal, dry to wet
  • Form: Line
  • Use or Function: Aquaculture

Canal

Canal

Artificial and excavated features constructed from eroded basalt rocks found on the site. Some are more than 300m long, used mostly during rainy season to channel water flow from wetland to wetland

  • Project: Aboriginal eel Aquaculture – Gunditjmara Country.
  • Climate: Temperate with warm summers, Mediterranean
  • Year: 4000 BC
  • Water type: Freshwater
  • Landscape: Volcano stream
  • Altitude: 20-30 m.a.s.l
  • Soil condition: Peat and basalt rocks
  • Material: Basalt rocks
  • Temporality: Seasonal, dry to wet
  • Form: Line
  • Use or Function: Aquaculture