Radical Melbourne: A Secret History

Indigenous fish traps and fish weirs on the Darling (Baaka) River, south‐eastern Australia, and their influence on the ecology and morphology of the river and floodplains

“…Dry stone wall remnants can be seen below the Tilpa Weir, despite the disturbance resulting from the town weir overflow (Figure 7). The Wilcannia Weir fish traps consists of a series of dry stone wall oval shaped enclosures following down the rock apron of 1940s town water supply weir, "we used to go to the stone part and make fish traps" (Bates & Martin, 2010:18, Figure 8), and at Wilcannia Rocky Crossing fringe camp inhabitants made "little fish traps out of loose stones" (Figure 9) (Martin, 2020). Mathews (1903:148) gives extra detail on how the dry stone walls at Brewarrina were built, "The river‐ floor … consists of immense numbers of loose stones, ranging from twenty pounds to a hundred weight, with others of greater dimensions.…”

“…At Newfoundland 1 and 2 fish were "caught or speared" (Newland, 1890:23‐24), "caught" possibly referring to catching with hands. In the past and currently at Wilcannia Weir, The Strip, Rocky Crossing, and Menindee Weir 32 "they'd catch them with their hands" (Bates & Martin, 2010; Martin, 2020). Small rock pools were used over the last 60 years to hold caught fish for later use at The Strip fish traps (Bates & Martin, 2010:4), in contrast to some evidence that suggests at Brewarrina all fish in the traps had to be dispatched (Mathews, 1903:153).…”

“…This is of spiritual significance because the shallow freshwater aquifers that create the soaks and springs in the river are the home of the Ngatji or Rainbow Serpent. Barkandji "know", "feel", and "see" the shallow underground aquifers through their ancestors’ history and utilise this for practical purposes as well as the spiritual (Jones, 1989; Martin, 2020). Such information provides insight into interactions between the people, riverine landscape and aquifers and raises new possibilities about the management of fish and water by Barkandji people.…”

“…This essentially European view has been balanced by oral history accounts that demonstrate Barkandji traditional knowledge has been retained. Oral history projects undertaken by author Sarah Martin involved recording Barkandji elder's knowledge about history and ways of living, including evidence of existing or remembered fish traps along the Baaka and relevant cultural and ecological knowledge (Bates & Martin, 2010; Harris, 2018; Martin, 2020; Martin & Kurnu Baakandji Elders 2014; The Elders and Martin 2011). These projects were all instigated and managed by local Indigenous organisations (Wilcannia Local Aboriginal Land Council, Kurnu Baakandji Joint Management Committee, or in the case of Bates & Martin, 2010, by Badger Bates telling his own personal history); and undertaken with due regard to cultural protocol policies and procedures (NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Heritage NSW, and Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies ethics committee).…”