Brewarrina Fish Traps
Location: Brewarrina, NSW 2839
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The Brewarrina Fish Traps are a complex arrangement of stone walls, nearly half a kilometre in length, situated in the Barwon River which feeds into the Darling. An ingenious invention long used by Aboriginal people to catch fish to eat, the age of these fish traps is unknown and they may be one of the oldest human constructions in the world. They have been listed on the State Heritage Register and the National Heritage List. Aboriginal people understand them to be an ancient Dreamtime site built by Baiame and his two sons Booma-ooma-nowi and Ghinda-inda-mui.
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Physical Description
The Fish Traps are a complex arrangement of stone fish traps and walls, nearly half a kilometre in length. They are built on a rock bar in the Barwon River, a major tributary of the Darling River in Western NSW. The fisheries determined the location of the town of Brewarrina. |
Modifications
1996 - Rebuilding to some of the walls that had been neglected over time took place by members of the Aboriginal community particularly through Community Development Employment Projects.
2008 - Federal funding of $1.7m announced for interpretation works; $180,000 for 'keeping place' works, alongside fish traps. |
Condition
The Fish Traps are currently in good condition. The curtilage is littered with rubbish currently and ways to improve this situation will be investigated. |
History
In traditional Aboriginal accounts the fishtraps (ngunnhu) were built by Baiame and his two sons Booma-ooma-nowi and Ghinda-inda-mui during drought times when the Ngemba people faced famine as Gurrungga (the water hole at Brewarrina) had dried up. Use of the fishtraps was first documented by European settlers in the 1850's, by all accounts the traps were already solidly in place and were created by the Aboriginal people before them. Publications in the early 1900's were first to have detailed descriptions of the site and these descriptions are similar to the way the site looks today.
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Internet links
| Webpage |
Source |
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Tourism NSW |
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Data
| Name of Item: |
Brewarrina Fish Traps |
| Other Name/s: |
Nonah, Ngunnhu, Baiame's Ngunnhu, fishtraps |
| Type of Item: |
Built |
| Collection: |
Aboriginal |
| Category: |
Fish/eel trap |
| Location: |
Brewarrina,
NSW 2839 |
| Local Govt: |
Brewarrina |
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| Designer: |
Baime |
| Builder: |
Baime, Booma-ooma-nowi and Ghindi-inda-mui |
| Current Use: |
fishing, meeting place, education, tourism |
| Former Use: |
fishing, meeting place, education |
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