Budj Bim and the ancient eel farmsCEFR B2
26 Apr 2026
Adapted from Kevin Rennie, Global Voices • CC BY 3.0
Photo by Shalev Cohen, Unsplash
Budj Bim in western Victoria contains one of the world’s oldest known aquaculture systems, where the Gunditjmara people managed water and stone to farm eels for millennia. Scientists estimate one of the five systems is around 6,600 years old, based on carbon-dating, and archaeological work has shown that stone traps, channels, ponds and dam walls date back at least that far and pre-date European contact by many hundreds, and possibly thousands, of years.
The Budj Bim Cultural Landscape was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2019. Budj Bim is a dormant volcano with ancient basalt lava flows, and it was the first site added to the list for its cultural significance alone. The Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners produced a video when the site was nominated.
The Gunditjmara resisted colonisation during the Eumerella Wars from the 1830s to the 1860s, and many lived on a Church of England mission near Lake Condah from the 1890s until the 1950s; a hand-drawn map of the fish-trap systems was produced in 1893. Recent social media posts, including a TikTok tour led by a Gunditjmara man, have increased public interest.
Visitors can see extensive stonework and learn how the people actively altered water flows to make eel supply more reliable. The site includes the Tae Rak Aquaculture centre with stone holding tanks and a bush tucker cafe for eel tasting. Remains of approximately 300 stone-walled structures near the traps may indicate permanent occupation, and one of the world’s oldest creation stories about the volcano also comes from Budj Bim.
- Eel traps and channels
- Stone houses and walls
- Stone holding tanks and cafe
Difficult words
- aquaculture — farming of fish and other water animals
- carbon-dating — method to estimate the age of remains
- inscribe — officially entered on a formal listinscribed
- basalt — dark volcanic rock formed from cooled lava
- colonisation — process of one group controlling another territory
- mission — religious settlement where people lived and worked
- creation story — traditional tale about how the world begancreation stories
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- How might UNESCO recognition affect the Gunditjmara community and their cultural sites?
- What benefits and risks can increased tourism bring after viral social media posts about a cultural site?
- Why is it important to protect ancient systems like Budj Bim's aquaculture for future generations?
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