What are the Brewarrina fish traps?
The Brewarrina fish traps, known as Baiame's Ngunnhu, are a network of stone walls and ponds in the Barwon River in northwest New South Wales. They are among the oldest human-built structures in the world.
The traps stretch for about half a kilometre along the river at Brewarrina. Rock walls form pens and channels that guide fish into ponds, where people could catch them by hand or spear as the water level changed.
According to Aboriginal tradition, the ancestral being Baiame designed the traps and gave each family group responsibility for particular ponds. Many groups met at the site to share fish, hold ceremonies and trade.
Heritage
The fish traps were added to the National Heritage List in 2005. Some parts were damaged in the 1900s by river works.
Their age is uncertain, but some researchers think they may be tens of thousands of years old.
The Brewarrina Aboriginal Cultural Museum, beside the river, shares their story, and local guides lead tours of the traps when river levels allow. The traps work best when the river rises and falls, as fish move upstream with floods.
Community groups and scientists are working to restore damaged sections and to have the site considered for World Heritage listing. The traps remain a powerful symbol of Aboriginal engineering, knowledge of fish behaviour and cooperation between groups.
Did You Know?
Ngemba people are the Traditional Owners of the Brewarrina area.