brewarrina aboriginal fish traps (ngunnhu)

The whole area was a bit shabby and because it had rained it was muddy and difficult to get to the waters' edge

I loved the genuineness of our guide who took us out along the riverside to explore the fish traps and explained everything in the Museum. It was so worth booking in for an authentic local tour guide.

We stopped by here late in the afternoon and saw birds catching their meals. The photos we captured were awesome and the concept even more so. I would definitely go back with a picnic blanket and some lunch next time!

The young guys had cheeky smiles and were giggling when we arrived l think they may have been telling stories, they were helpful and interesting at both the museum and the fish traps. Keep up the good work!!!

How amazing to see 40000 year old fish traps down by the weir as the sun is setting. Birds of a feather flocked together waiting for the fish to jump

You are taken along the banks of the river by a local Aboriginal Guide and told the story of the Fish Traps, how they work and some stories of old. A must see and do when in the Brewarrina.

I am from Brazil...than sorry my english. The fish traps is the moust important thing in Brewarrina. You must need to go !

It hardly ever rains here, but it certainly did today. This did not dampen the view of the fishtraps from the river levee, or the conversation about the ingenuity of the Aboriginal fishing techniques. And the photos, both still and video, were beautiful. Take a walk in the dry, or a car in the rain.

The fish traps are facinating from a historical perspective and well worth a vist if you are in the area. Check the tours times as early as you can as they had changed the time and not bothered yet to update the brouchures when I visited.

The brewarrina fish traps on the Barwon river which is a tributary of the Darling river is a must see. It is estimated the structure is 40,000 yrs old. The traps are a collection of stones and boulders strategically placed in the river to trap fish when the river level drops after an increase in flow. It has National Heritage listing

A wonderful piece of ancient technology that has survived for thousands of years. We were lucky enough to be there when the Darling was not in drought and see many local birds using the traps to catch their meals. Interestingly when we were there some local school children were visiting the traps as part of their learning. As we walked along the wall the children were able to tell us about story of the traps. A very interesting place to visit if you are in the area.

Interesting peices of history. Not much to see though. The weir was very nice and ther river flowing freely which not always happens due to drought.

About 90 kms east of Bourke NSW there has been an Aboriginal presence in the town that is known today as Brewarrina for over 40,000 years, extraordinarily there remains evidence of this on the Barwon River in the form of ancient stone fish traps.Apparently the oldest man made structures that exists on Earth, these stone fish traps are reportedly evidence of engineering skill, knowledge of river hydrology & fish biology, these represent typical Aboriginal traits both spiritual & practical that binds them to the land whom which they believe is sacred. The local Ngemba people have been the age old custodians of the fish traps & their descendants manage the Aboriginal fisheries centre on the riverbank above the site. Historically these stone fish traps made possible a seasonal festival regularly attended by thousands of Aboriginal groups along the east coast who traveled for weeks to the celebration & feast of fish. These corroborees were events to share stories & knowledge through dance & ritual, forming an important centerpiece for regional unity & co-operation.Today the once mighty Barwon River suffers the flowing consequences of irrigators & commercial cotton farming as megalitres are wasted on producing crops in dry arid land that is produced far cheaper elsewhere in the world.Our visit to the stone fish traps at Brewarrina in December was very informal, the traps are located directly in front of the Aboriginal Fisheries centre on the river bank, apparently guided tours can be arrange here with local Aboriginal staff but we arrived late in the afternoon. The 500 metre stone fish trap area was dry as the Barwon River had been dammed within sight of the traps as well as the seasonal flooding’s not occurring as yet. The stone traps are visible as stacked river stones in an arrangement of unnatural circles. I was fortunate to be able to see the traps during a dry period to inspect the simple principles of trapping fish. Obviously, if the traps were submerged in water I could’ve seen the patterns they formed against flowing river currents making for a great photographic opportunity. We traveled to Brewarrina along the Kamilaroi Highway which is in excellent condition, camping at Mt Kaputar National Park near Narrabri the night before & traveled onto Bourke to spend the night. Brewarrina is approx 1.5 - 2 hrs from Walgett & a little over an hour & a half to Bourke. To compliment our trip to the Brewarrina fish traps, we also visited the Stone Country at Gundabook National Park to view the Aboriginal rock art there as well as the more impressive Mt Grenfell Historic Site west of Cobar which has hundreds of individual images. It is pleasing to note that these three important Aboriginal cultural sites are all free to the public & do not attract any fees. A road trip to these sites could be enjoyed over 3-4 days in a reliable 2WD car & camping sites are aplenty for adventurous types.