Budj Bim heritage areas

Quick Facts: Who was Budj Bim heritage areas?

Subject:

Budj Bim heritage areas

Known for:

Ancient cultural landscape in Victoria, Australia, showcasing deep Indigenous history.

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2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

Budj Bim heritage areas includes several protected areas in Victoria, Australia, the largest two being Budj Bim National Heritage Landscape and the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape. Within the latter, there are three Indigenous Protected Areas: the Tyrendarra Indigenous Protected Area, Kurtonitj Indigenous Protected Area, and the Lake Condah Indigenous Protected Area. All of the protected areas are related to the volcanic landscape created by the eruption of Budj Bim (Mount Eccles) more than 30,000 years ago, and the dormant volcano is included in the National Heritage and World Heritage sites (which also include Budj Bim National Park). The various areas are of great historic and cultural significance to various clans of the Gunditjmara, the local Aboriginal people: Budj Bim features in their mythology as a creator-being, and the Gunditjmara people developed an extensive system of aquaculture on the land created by the lava flows up to 8,000 years ago. Tae Rak (Lake Condah) forms part of the wetlands, and its English name is remembered for the Lake Condah Mission which was established a few kilometres away in 1867.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Budj Bim National Heritage Landscape was added to the National Heritage List on 20 July 2004, and Budj Bim Cultural Landscape was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 6 July 2019. The land is owned and managed by Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation, a Registered Aboriginal Party, along with various other bodies involved in landcare. The creation story of the local Gunditjmara people is based on the eruption of Budj Bim (Mount Eccles) more than 30,000 years ago. It was via this event that an ancestral creator-being known as Budj Bim was revealed. Budj Bim's eruption was dated at within 3,100 years either side of 36,900 years BP, and nearby Tower Hill similarly dated, in early 2020.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Significantly, owing to the presence of human artefacts found under volcanic ash at Tower Hill, this is a "minimum age constraint for human presence in Victoria", and also could be interpreted as evidence for the Gunditjmara oral histories which tell of volcanic eruptions being some of the oldest oral traditions in existence. The Tyrendarra lava flow changed the drainage pattern of the region, and created large wetlands. From some thousands of years before European settlement in the area in the early 19th century (one of five eel trap systems at Lake Condah has been carbon dated to 6,600 years old), the Gunditjmara clans had developed a system of aquaculture which channelled the water of the Darlot Creek into adjacent lowlying areas trapping short-finned eels (or kooyang in Gunditjmara) and other fish in a series of weirs, dams and channels. This provided a year-round supply of eels which were harvested with woven traps and often smoked in hollows of the manna gum (Eucalyptus viminalis), and permitted a forager (hunter-gatherer) society to develop into a settled society constructing permanent stone dwellings. The engineered wetlands provided the basis to sustain large groups of people to dwell permanently in the vicinity.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1867: 1867 Milestone — Tae Rak (Lake Condah) forms part of the wetlands, and its English name is remembered for the Lake Condah Mission which was established a few kilometres away in 1867.
2. 2004: 2004 Milestone — Budj Bim National Heritage Landscape was added to the National Heritage List on 20 July 2004, and Budj Bim Cultural Landscape was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 6 July 2019.
3. 2020: 2020 Milestone — Budj Bim's eruption was dated at within 3,100 years either side of 36,900 years BP, and nearby Tower Hill similarly dated, in early 2020.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Budj Bim heritage areas

True or False: “The aquaculture systems at Budj Bim were only discovered by archaeologists in the late 20th century.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): While modern archaeology revealed much, evidence suggests these sophisticated trapping and farming techniques were utilized for thousands of years before European contact.

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• Alan Parker — Historical peer (Died in 2020) (2020): Acclaimed English filmmaker known for genre versatility and numerous BAFTA and Golden Globe wins.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Budj Bim heritage areas