Brewarrina Fish Traps (Baiame's Ngunnhu)

What the fish traps are

The Brewarrina Aboriginal Fish Traps, known as Baiame's Ngunnhu, are a network of river stones arranged in the Barwon River at Brewarrina, in north-western NSW. They form channels and ponds that catch fish. The NSW Government calls them one of the oldest human-made structures in the world.

They were added to the National Heritage List on 3 June 2005. The Commonwealth listing describes the Ngunnhu as follows:

• Size: nearly half a kilometre long.
• Design: a series of dry-stone weirs and ponds arranged in the form of a net across the Barwon River.
• Significance: the largest trap recorded, and rare in being a dry-stone fish trap on a large river system.
• Achievement: in the listing's words, its size, design and complexity are exceptionally rare in Australia. It represents an unusual and highly innovative development in pre-European Aboriginal technology.

The story of Baiame's Ngunnhu

According to Aboriginal tradition, the ancestral creation being Baiame revealed the design of the traps by throwing his net over the river. The heritage listing says Baiame dug up stones and boulders. He and his two sons, Booma-ooma-nowi and Ghinda-inda-mui, then set them out in the pattern of a great fish net.

The listing notes that it's extremely unusual in Aboriginal society for an ancestral being to create built structures. That makes both the Ngunnhu and its story nationally important.

The NSW Government adds that, according to oral history, the traps and their technology were also inspired by nature. The traps act like a pelican's beak, scooping fish out of the water.

How the traps work

The NSW Government says the stone walls guide fish swimming upstream into holding ponds. Aboriginal people traditionally caught the fish with their bare hands or spears, or blocked them in the ponds to catch later.

The heritage listing explains the engineering. Aboriginal people used an unusual combination of a large rock bar, seasonal river flows and suitable local rocks:

• Flood-proof shape. The stone-walled pens are tear-drop shaped, with the convex wall facing upstream, so they can withstand the Barwon's high flows.
• Walls of different heights. Some walls are higher than others, so the traps work at both low and high water levels.
• Gates in different places. Fish can be caught as they migrate both upstream and downstream.

The listing says the design shows a thorough understanding of dry-stone wall construction, river hydrology and fish ecology. DCCEEW notes the traps allowed large numbers of fish to be herded and caught, particularly during spring migrations.

A meeting place for many nations

Custodians. The Ngemba people are the custodians of the fishery. DCCEEW says its maintenance and use were shared with other groups, including the Morowari, Paarkinji, Weilwan, Barabinja, Ualarai and Kamilaroi peoples.

Shared responsibility. According to tradition, Baiame allocated particular traps to each family group, and made them responsible under Aboriginal law for their use and upkeep. The heritage listing says this shows how an ancestral being determined the relationships between several Aboriginal groups and a built structure on one group's land.

Gatherings. Neighbouring groups were invited to the Ngunnhu for corroborees, initiation ceremonies, and meetings for trade and barter. The NSW Government says the traps and the Aboriginal Lore governing their use helped shape spiritual, political, social, ceremonial and trade relationships across the wider landscape.

Today. Brewarrina Shire Council also describes the traps as a gathering place for many nations. The listing says the Ngunnhu were, and still are, a significant meeting place for Aboriginal people with connections to the area.

How old are they?

There's no single agreed date:

• Brewarrina Shire Council says archaeologists estimate Baiame's Ngunnhu to be over 40,000 years old. It describes the traps as believed to be the oldest human construction on earth.
• The NSW Government describes them as one of the oldest human-made structures in the world.
• Visit NSW refers to the 40,000-year-old heritage-listed traps.

Treat precise ages with caution. What all the official sources agree on is that the traps are extremely old, and still culturally alive.

Visiting the fish traps

Location and cost. The NSW Government lists the fish traps site at 50 Bathurst Street, Brewarrina, with free entry.

Brewarrina Aboriginal Cultural Museum. The best way to understand the traps is with a local guide. Brewarrina Shire Council recommends the museum as the first stop on any visit. It sits just steps from the traps, in gunyahs, and shares the history of the Ngemba, Ualarai, Weilwan and Baranbinja peoples through stories, traditions and local art for sale. Visit NSW says the guided tours take about 45 minutes and involve very little walking.

At the time of writing, the council lists these tour times:

• Friday: 9:30 am, 11 am, 1 pm and 2:30 pm.
• Saturday: 9:30 am and 11 am.
• Monday: by appointment.
• Sunday: closed.

Bookings are recommended on 0457 869 088. Times can change, so confirm before you travel.

Brewarrina Visitor Information and Exhibition Centre. The visitor centre has maps, itineraries and local tips. The council lists its hours as Friday 8 am to 5 pm and Saturday to Monday 10 am to 2 pm, on (02) 6830 5152.

Visiting respectfully

DCCEEW stresses that Aboriginal people are the primary source of information about the values of their heritage, and that the Indigenous values of the place aren't definitively mapped. As a visitor:

• Join a guided tour with local Aboriginal guides, rather than exploring the traps on your own.
• Don't move, stack or remove stones. The traps are a living structure and a National Heritage place.
• Ask before taking photos of people or cultural activities.
• Support Aboriginal-run businesses, such as the cultural museum.

Getting there

Brewarrina is on the Barwon River in north-western NSW, about 100 km east of Bourke. Each June long weekend the Bre Big Fish fishing event is held on the riverbanks, so book accommodation early if you're visiting then.

For wider context, see our outback history hub, our guide to Lightning Ridge black opal, and our Darling River Run road trip.

Nearby park guide: Gundabooka & Toorale.