No. 119

Budj Bim eel traps

On land Oceania

"The crater itself is one of the most picturesque in Victoria, owing to the irregularity of its structure, the fanciful disposition of the timber on it declivitous slopes, and to the circumstance that a beautiful fresh w — Eugene von Guerard, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Travel there with Lyra

Where: Victoria, Australia
Built by: Gunditjmara people
Era: 6,600+ years ago
Known for: One of the oldest aquaculture systems on Earth.
How it ended: Disrupted by colonization; still Gunditjmara country today.

Lake Surprise, Budj Bim ‐ Mt Eccles National Park, Victoria, Australia — Dhx1, CC0

Lyra Kael can take you here on the globe, tell you the story out loud and answer your questions. Start the time jump.

Background

Budj Bim, also known as Mount Eccles, is a dormant volcano near Macarthur in southwestern Victoria, Australia. It lies within the geologically defined area known as the Newer Volcanics Province, which is the youngest volcanic area in Australia and stretches from western Victoria to south-eastern South Australia.

It is situated within the Budj Bim National Park. Budj Bim is the Gunditjmara name, meaning "High Head". The roughly conical peak rises 178 metres (584 ft) above surrounding area. The peak is a scoria hill that was thrown up beside a group of three overlapping volcanic craters that now contain Lake Surprise. A line of smaller craters and scoria cones runs to the southeast. Lava flows extend to form a shield volcano and are fed by several lava channels, or "lava canals" as they are known locally. This lava flow, known as the Tyrendarra lava flow, changed the drainage pattern of the region, and created large wetlands.

Large areas to the west and south-west of the mountain have been heritage-listed. The Budj Bim heritage areas include the Tyrendarra Indigenous Protected Area (designated in December 2003), the Budj Bim National Heritage Landscape (added to the National Heritage List in July 2004), and the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape (designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2019).

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.