Brewarrina Aboriginal Fish Traps, Aboriginal fish traps in Brewarrina, Australia.
Brewarrina Aboriginal Fish Traps are a system of stone walls built along the Barwon River that form intricate channels and pools designed to catch fish. The structures stretch for about 500 m and demonstrate how the stones were carefully placed to guide and hold fish as water moved through the system.
These fish traps were built more than 40,000 years ago and rank among Australia's oldest known structures. They reflect the engineering knowledge of Aboriginal people and have remained largely unchanged in their basic form through the ages.
The fish traps are called Baiames Ngunnhu in the language of the Ngemba Wayilwan people, who continue to hold these structures as part of their living heritage today. Walking here, you can sense how these stone walls remain woven into the identity and knowledge of the local community.
The Brewarrina Cultural Museum offers guided tours and information to help you understand what you are seeing at the site. The structures themselves are free to visit year-round, though visiting the museum first helps you make sense of the layout and design.
The stone formations create V-shaped channels that funnel fish into holding pens, working effectively during both high and low river flows. This clever design shows how the builders understood and made use of the seasonal water changes of the Barwon River.
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