Ngunnhu Brewarrina Fish Traps

UnMonumental

and

Jun 20, 2023

The Brewarrina Fish Traps are a series of stone weirs constructed by the Wayilwan people of the Ngiyampaa Nation on the Barwon River at Brewarrina in ~~New South Wales~~.

The fish traps are called Ngunnhu in Ngiyampaa language, also commonly known as Baiame’s Ngunnhu or Ngiyampaa fish traps.

The Ngunnhu fish traps are a series of 12 teardrop shaped rock pools stretching 500 metres along the river. The traps are constructed using a key lock dry stone method, strong enough to resist damage in the high and fast water flow.

The weir pen walls are terraced at different heights, allowing them to be used at different water levels. Fish are herded into openings in the walls and the pens are closed with stones to trap the fish inside. The fish are then caught with nets, spears and by bare hands.

According to Ngiyampaa oral history, Ngiyampaa ancestor Baiame threw his fishing net over the river, revealing the design of the traps. Baiame and his two sons Booma-ooma-nowi and Ghinda-inda-mui then built the fish traps to the shape of the net design.

The Ngunnhu site is also a cultural meeting place and Ngiyampaa people shared the traps with Muruwari, Paakantyi, Barranbinya, Yuwaalaraay and Gamilaraay/ Kamilaroi people.

The Ngunnhu fish traps have not been accurately dated, and there are currently three estimated dates for the traps:

Ngiyampaa people estimate the traps to be between 30,000 and 40,000 years old based on their oral history. Studies of the water flow in the ~~Murray-Darling River~~ system suggest they could have been constructed between 15,000 and 9,000 years ago. Other stone fish traps in ~~New South Wales~~ are dated between 3,000 and 1,000 years old.

The Ngunnhu fish traps have been damaged several times since European colonisation. In the 1860s and 1920s stones were removed from the fish traps to construct buildings in the town of Brewarrina.

In the 1960s, a weir was constructed upstream of the Ngunnhu fish traps that reduced the natural water flow. This led to mud silting, causing bulrush to grow into the traps damaging them.

The Ngunnhu fish traps at Brewarrina have been registered on the Australian National Heritage List since 2005.

The Ngiyampaa people continue to use, maintain and care for the traps.

~~Murray~~ and ~~Darling~~ are colonial names referring to British colonisers George Murray and Ralph Darling.

~~New South Wales~~ is a colonial name. Coloniser James Cook thought that the land looked like the south coast of Wales.