Budj Bim
Encyclopedia
Budj Bim is the Gunditjmara
name for the extinct volcano Mount Eccles
in southwestern Victoria
, Australia
. The name means High Head.
The eruptions of the volcano 20,000 to 30,000 years ago produced the Tyrendarra lava flow which flowed in a generally southerly direction into the ocean at Tyrendarra
. The flow disrupted the earlier drainage system; to the east the Fitzroy River
now flows cleanly between the rocks of the lava flow and the Mount Clay escarpment; to the west its tributary Darlot Creek flows through a more complex landscape of swamps, wetlands and adjacent low-lying land prone to flooding.
The name Budj Bim has been given to two areas on the Australian National Heritage List
, proclaimed in 2004, the Budj Bim National Heritage Landscape - Tyrendarra Area and the Budj Bim National Heritage Landscape - Mount Eccles Lake Condah Area.
From some thousands of years before European occupation, the Gunditjmara developed a system of aquaculture which channelled the water of the Darlot Creek into adjacent lowlying areas trapping eels and fish in a series of weirs. This provided a year-round supply of eels which were harvested with woven traps and often smoked in hollows of the Manna Gum (Eucalyptus viminalis), and permitted a forager society to develop into a settled societyconstructing permanent stone dwellings.
After the European occupation from the late 1830s, the rocks and uneven land of the lava flow permitted attacks on settlers and the means to escape reprisal as the terrain was unsuited to horses. Attempts to pacify the Gunditjmara led to the Eumeralla Wars which did not conclude until the 1860s.
The Lake Condah Mission, established in 1868, is important to the history of the Gunditjmara, under the various policies of State authorities.
and the Condah Mission Station at Lake Condah on Darlot Creek to the west 38°03′44"S 141°50′00"E, with the addition of recently purchased properties linking the two and in the east towards Lake Gorrie.
to be permitted to live near the places from which they had been removed. In 1885 the permanent mission church was built from local stone.
In 1886 the Half-Caste Act
, or an Act to amend an Act entitled "An Act to Provide for the Protection and Management of the Aboriginal Natives of Victoria" was passed which provided for the removal of all people other than fullblood Aboriginals from reserves. The Aborigines Act of 1910 rescinded that decision, and many aboriginals returned.
In 1950 it was decided that the Mission would close and the church and other facilities were destroyed to facilitate this:
In 1959 the reserve was revoked and all remaining people were evicted.
Following the Aboriginal Land (Lake Condah and Framlingham Forest) Act 1987, the 53 hectare former reserve was vested to the Kerrup Jmara Elders Corporation.
The Kerrup Jmara Elders Corporation entered liquidation during the 1990s.
The reserve was eventually vested to the Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation (Registered Native Title Corporate) in 2008 by the Commonwealth Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Hon. Jenny Macklin.
Much of the area was part of the Mount Clay squatting
run (established in 1841) and the later property Keeleeng; the landscape and vegetation was seldom disturbed leaving the tumuli, stone huts and the infrastructure of the aquaculture. To the south of the Australian National Heritage List area (on both sides of the Princes Highway the landscape has been compromised by the removal of stone for fencing and, more recently, the crushing of stone to provide material for road building. As a result most rock features have disappeared.
Gunditjmara
Gunditjmara, or Gundidj for short, are an Indigenous Australian group from western Victoria . Their neighbours to the west were the Buandig people, to the north the Jardwadjali and Djab wurrung peoples, and in the east the Girai wurrung people.The name may also be spelt Gournditch-Mara...
name for the extinct volcano Mount Eccles
Mount Eccles
Mount Eccles is an inactive volcano in southwestern Victoria, Australia near Macarthur. It is composed of scoria hill from a series of volcanic vents. The Gunditjmara name for the mountain is Budj Bim meaning High Head...
in southwestern Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The name means High Head.
The eruptions of the volcano 20,000 to 30,000 years ago produced the Tyrendarra lava flow which flowed in a generally southerly direction into the ocean at Tyrendarra
Tyrendarra, Victoria
Tyrendarra is a rural village in south west Victoria, Australia and is located on the Princes Highway; the township within a bend of Darlot Creek, before it enters the Fitzroy River which also flows through the locality...
. The flow disrupted the earlier drainage system; to the east the Fitzroy River
Fitzroy River (Victoria)
The Fitzroy River is a river in southwestern Victoria, Australia. It begins near the western edge of the Lower Glenelg National Park, flows through Heywood, and enters the Southern Ocean at Tyrendarra....
now flows cleanly between the rocks of the lava flow and the Mount Clay escarpment; to the west its tributary Darlot Creek flows through a more complex landscape of swamps, wetlands and adjacent low-lying land prone to flooding.
The name Budj Bim has been given to two areas on the Australian National Heritage List
Australian National Heritage List
The Australian National Heritage List is a list of places deemed to be of outstanding heritage significance to Australia. The list includes natural, historic and indigenous places...
, proclaimed in 2004, the Budj Bim National Heritage Landscape - Tyrendarra Area and the Budj Bim National Heritage Landscape - Mount Eccles Lake Condah Area.
Importance
The Budj Bim areas have been included on the Heritage List because of their importance in the history of the Gunditjmara.From some thousands of years before European occupation, the Gunditjmara developed a system of aquaculture which channelled the water of the Darlot Creek into adjacent lowlying areas trapping eels and fish in a series of weirs. This provided a year-round supply of eels which were harvested with woven traps and often smoked in hollows of the Manna Gum (Eucalyptus viminalis), and permitted a forager society to develop into a settled societyconstructing permanent stone dwellings.
After the European occupation from the late 1830s, the rocks and uneven land of the lava flow permitted attacks on settlers and the means to escape reprisal as the terrain was unsuited to horses. Attempts to pacify the Gunditjmara led to the Eumeralla Wars which did not conclude until the 1860s.
The Lake Condah Mission, established in 1868, is important to the history of the Gunditjmara, under the various policies of State authorities.
The Mount Eccles Lake Condah Area
This area includes the Mount Eccles National ParkMount Eccles National Park
Mount Eccles National Park is a national park in Victoria, Australia, 270 km west of Melbourne.Mount Eccles is located inside the national park and is the site of the most recent active volcano in Australia. The first activity was about 40,000 years ago when Mount Eccles was formed by...
and the Condah Mission Station at Lake Condah on Darlot Creek to the west 38°03′44"S 141°50′00"E, with the addition of recently purchased properties linking the two and in the east towards Lake Gorrie.
Condah Mission Station
The Condah Mission Station was established in 1868 after agitation from displaced GunditjmaraGunditjmara
Gunditjmara, or Gundidj for short, are an Indigenous Australian group from western Victoria . Their neighbours to the west were the Buandig people, to the north the Jardwadjali and Djab wurrung peoples, and in the east the Girai wurrung people.The name may also be spelt Gournditch-Mara...
to be permitted to live near the places from which they had been removed. In 1885 the permanent mission church was built from local stone.
In 1886 the Half-Caste Act
Half-caste act
Half-Caste Act was the common name given to Acts of Parliament passed in Victoria and Western Australia in 1886. They became the model for legislation of Aboriginal communities throughout Australia, such as the Aboriginal Protection and restriction of the sale of opium act 1897 in...
, or an Act to amend an Act entitled "An Act to Provide for the Protection and Management of the Aboriginal Natives of Victoria" was passed which provided for the removal of all people other than fullblood Aboriginals from reserves. The Aborigines Act of 1910 rescinded that decision, and many aboriginals returned.
In 1950 it was decided that the Mission would close and the church and other facilities were destroyed to facilitate this:
Condah Mission Station Church, 1885. Destroyed 1950. Stones used to enlarge Church of England HamiltonHamilton, VictoriaHamilton is a city in western Victoria, Australia. It is located at the intersection of the Glenelg Highway and the Henty Highway...
and to pave cowyards.
In 1959 the reserve was revoked and all remaining people were evicted.
Following the Aboriginal Land (Lake Condah and Framlingham Forest) Act 1987, the 53 hectare former reserve was vested to the Kerrup Jmara Elders Corporation.
The Kerrup Jmara Elders Corporation entered liquidation during the 1990s.
The reserve was eventually vested to the Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation (Registered Native Title Corporate) in 2008 by the Commonwealth Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Hon. Jenny Macklin.
The Tyrendarra Area
This area (38°12′S 141°46′E comprises the Peters site between the Fitzroy River and Darlot Creek purchased by the Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation in May 2010 (after some years' leasehold) and the Kurtonitj wetlands to the north acquired by the Corporation in September 2009.Much of the area was part of the Mount Clay squatting
Squatting (pastoral)
In Australian history, a squatter was one who occupied a large tract of Crown land in order to graze livestock. Initially often having no legal rights to the land, they gained its usage by being the first Europeans in the area....
run (established in 1841) and the later property Keeleeng; the landscape and vegetation was seldom disturbed leaving the tumuli, stone huts and the infrastructure of the aquaculture. To the south of the Australian National Heritage List area (on both sides of the Princes Highway the landscape has been compromised by the removal of stone for fencing and, more recently, the crushing of stone to provide material for road building. As a result most rock features have disappeared.