National Heritage-listed Baiame’s Ngunnhu

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17 Mar

ONE OF THE OLDEST HUMAN CONSTRUCTIONS ON EARTH

Step into 40,000 years of living culture at Baiame’s Ngunnhu – the remarkable National Heritage-listed Fish Traps in the heart of Brewarrina. Believed to be the oldest known human construction, these traps are still in use today, showcasing the ingenuity of local First Nations people.

Dreaming stories tell us the traps were built by the ancestral creator Baiame and his sons Boorna Ooma-Nowi and GhindaInda-Mui, who shaped them by casting Baiame’s net across the river.

The intricate design of the dry-stone rock weirs and pens stretches for around half a kilometre and were built by ancient tribes to catch fish as they swam upstream. The intuitive design also allowed the fish traps to resist damage during both high and low river flows.

Though the Ngemba people are custodians, it is said Baiame commanded the traps be shared with other tribes. The area was one of the great inter-tribal meeting places in Eastern Australia for many nations, including the Murrawarri, Barkinji, Weilwan, Kamilaroi, Koamu, Ualarai, Baranbinja, Wiradjuri, Ngemba and Yualwarri peoples, who would gather here for food, ceremonies, trade and work.

The traps remain a place of deep cultural, spiritual and social significance for First Nations communities.

Discover more about this sacred site, with a tour led by the Brewarrina Aboriginal Cultural Museum , or take a self-guided 2.4-kilometre walk along our River Walk pathways connecting the National Heritage-listed fish traps with camping reserves along the Barwon River and the Brewarrina Ochre Beds.