Engineering by the First Peoples of Victoria: Innovation, Country, and Culture
The First Peoples of Victoria developed sophisticated systems of engineering that shaped landscapes, sustained communities, and embodied cultural law. Far from the colonial stereotype of “nomadic hunter-gatherers,” Indigenous societies across Victoria engineered aquaculture systems, stone dwellings, tool-making industries, and ecological management practices that reveal advanced technical and environmental knowledge (Gammage, 2011; Pascoe, 2014; Broome, 2005).
These achievements demonstrate that Indigenous peoples were not only custodians of Country but also innovators who designed sustainable solutions adapted to diverse environments — from volcanic plains to river valleys, coastal wetlands, and alpine regions (Clark, 1990; Lourandos, 1997).
Aquaculture Engineering: The Gunditjmara at Budj Bim
Stone Channels and Weirs
On Gunditjmara Country in south-west Victoria, the people constructed an extensive aquaculture system at Budj Bim (Mount Eccles) dating back more than 6,600 years (McNiven & Bell, 2010; UNESCO, 2019).
Using basalt stone from volcanic flows, they engineered channels, weirs, and ponds to trap and farm kooyang (short-finned eels), maintaining water flow and breeding habitats.
Preservation and Trade
Eels were smoked and preserved for long-term storage and trade, creating surpluses that supported permanent stone villages (Gerritsen, 1994).
Archaeological evidence shows long-distance trade with neighbouring nations such as the Djab Wurrung and Kirrae Whurrung (McNiven, 2015).
Global Significance
In 2019, Budj Bim was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, recognised as one of the oldest known aquaculture systems in the world (UNESCO, 2019).
The site evidences a form of landscape-scale engineering, comparable to early farming systems in Mesopotamia and Egypt (McNiven & Bell, 2010).
Stone Dwellings and Settlements
Western District Villages
Around Budj Bim and Lake Condah, the Gunditjmara built stone huts from basalt rocks formed by lava flows.
Archaeological surveys reveal semi-permanent villages with clusters of dwellings large enough to house hundreds of people (Gerritsen, 1994; Lourandos, 1997).
Combined with eel aquaculture, these settlements show that Gunditjmara life was sedentary, organised, and agricultural, challenging 19th-century colonial myths of nomadism.
Mount Noorat and Volcanic Plains
Further north at Mount Noorat, similar stone structures and water channels demonstrate regional adaptation of Gunditjmara engineering knowledge (Clark, 1990; McNiven, 2015).
Quarrying and Tool-Making Industries
Mount William Greenstone Quarry (Wurundjeri Country)
Near Lancefield, the Mount William Quarry was one of Australia’s most important stone tool production sites (Ridgeway, 2018).
For thousands of years, Wurundjeri people extracted greenstone (diabase) to craft durable axe heads.
These tools were shaped on-site and traded across south-eastern Australia, travelling up to 800 kilometres (McBryde, 1978).
Basalt and Silcrete Tool Sites
Across Victoria, organised quarries reveal extensive knowledge of fracture mechanics, lithic quality, and production efficiency (Mulvaney & Kamminga, 1999).
Artefact scatters along the Barwon, Goulburn, and Wannon Rivers indicate distributed manufacturing and repair stations tied to seasonal travel (Clark, 1990).
Water and Land Management Engineering
Firestick Farming
Indigenous communities used controlled burning to clear undergrowth, regenerate plants like murnong (yam daisy), and maintain open grasslands for hunting (Gammage, 2011; Pascoe, 2014).
This practice, known as cultural burning, was a sophisticated form of ecological engineering that reduced wildfire risk and enhanced biodiversity (Bird et al., 2008).
Seasonal Water Systems
Along major rivers — Murray, Goulburn, Barwon, and Hopkins — peoples engineered fish traps, weirs, and seasonal flood channels from stone and timber (McNiven, 2015).
Wetlands were managed to sustain eel, fish, and waterbird populations, blending hydrology with ecological knowledge (Clarke, 2011).
Architecture and Shelter
Temporary and Semi-Permanent Structures
Bark huts (mia-mias), woven reed shelters, and possum-skin cloaks illustrate adaptive architectural engineering.
In alpine regions, stone-lined huts provided insulation for gatherings such as the Bogong moth harvest (Flood, 2006).
Integration with Environment
Indigenous architecture reflected intimate knowledge of local materials — basalt, bark, reeds, and grasses — selected for strength, flexibility, and climate suitability (Isaacs, 1987; Clarke, 2011).
Cultural Dimensions of Engineering
For the First Peoples of Victoria, engineering was spiritual and relational, not merely mechanical:
Aquaculture and fire systems were embedded in Law (Lore) and tied to responsibilities of caring for Country (Rose, 1996).
Knowledge of quarries, eel traps, and burning cycles was passed through oral traditions, songlines, and ceremony (Pascoe, 2014).
Engineering ensured both material survival and cultural continuity, sustaining balance between human and environmental systems.
Impact of Colonisation
Disruption and Destruction
Colonisation brought sheep, cattle, and plough agriculture that destroyed wetlands, eel systems, and murnong fields (Broome, 2005; Critchett, 1990).
Gunditjmara aquaculture channels were filled or redirected, and sacred sites were occupied by pastoral leases.
Quarries like Mount William were seized or abandoned due to colonial expansion and legal exclusion from land (McBryde, 1978).
Denial of Innovation
19th-century settlers denied Indigenous innovation, portraying Aboriginal peoples as “primitive” to justify land theft (Reynolds, 1987; Gammage, 2011).
This denial erased centuries of engineering heritage from education and public memory.
Revival and Recognition
Today, Indigenous communities are reviving these engineering practices:
Budj Bim aquaculture is being restored by Gunditjmara Elders as a living cultural, tourism, and ecological site (UNESCO, 2019; Gunditj Mirring TOAC, 2023).
Cultural burning programs are reintroduced in partnership with agencies such as the CFA and Parks Victoria.
Quarry heritage sites like Mount William are managed through joint Aboriginal and state custodianship.
These revivals challenge colonial narratives and reaffirm Indigenous innovation, sustainability, and authority.
Conclusion
The engineering achievements of the First Peoples of Victoria — from Budj Bim’s eel traps to Mount William’s greenstone quarry, from firestick farming to stone dwellings — reveal a society of invention, sustainability, and cultural depth.
Colonisation disrupted these systems, but ongoing recognition and restoration have re-established them as cornerstones of Victorian and world heritage.
Indigenous engineering was not only technical but spiritual — a science of balance, design, and respect for Country that holds lessons for sustainable futures.
Reference List
Bird, R. B., Bird, D. W., Codding, B. F. & Zeanah, D. W. (2008). “Aboriginal Burning Regimes and Ecological Engineering.” Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 275(1631), pp. 1477–1483.
Broome, R. (2005). Aboriginal Victorians: A History Since 1800. Sydney: Allen & Unwin.
Clark, I. D. (1990). Aboriginal Languages and Clans: An Historical Atlas of Western and Central Victoria, 1800–1900. Melbourne: Monash Publications in Geography.
Clarke, P. A. (2011). Aboriginal Plant Collectors: Botanists and Australian Aboriginal People in the Nineteenth Century. Kenthurst: Rosenberg Publishing.
Critchett, J. (1990). A Distant Field of Murder: Western District Frontiers, 1834–1848. Melbourne: MUP.
Flood, J. (2006). The Original Australians: Story of the Aboriginal People. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin.
Gammage, B. (2011). The Biggest Estate on Earth: How Aborigines Made Australia. Sydney: Allen & Unwin.
Gerritsen, R. (1994). The Economic Basis of Aboriginal Society in South Eastern Australia. Oxford: Tempus.
Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation (2023). Budj Bim Projects and Cultural Landscape Management. Hamilton: GMTOAC.
Isaacs, J. (1987). Bush Food: Aboriginal Food and Herbal Medicine. Sydney: Weldons.
Lourandos, H. (1997). Continent of Hunter-Gatherers: New Perspectives in Australian Prehistory. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
McBryde, I. (1978). “Wil-im-ee Moor-ring: Or, Where Do Axes Come From?” Mankind, 11(3), pp. 354–382.
McNiven, I. (2015). The Archaeology of Maritime Society in Southeastern Australia. Journal of Maritime Archaeology, 10(3), pp. 243–265.
McNiven, I. & Bell, D. (2010). “Fishers and Farmers: Historicising Aboriginal Aquaculture and Agriculture in Victoria.” Aboriginal History, 34, pp. 131–157.
Mulvaney, D. J. & Kamminga, J. (1999). Prehistory of Australia. Sydney: Allen & Unwin.
Pascoe, B. (2014). Dark Emu: Aboriginal Australia and the Birth of Agriculture. Broome: Magabala Books.
Reynolds, H. (1987). The Law of the Land. Ringwood: Penguin.
Ridgeway, C. (2018). Mount William Greenstone Quarry Cultural Heritage Management Plan. Melbourne: Aboriginal Victoria.
Rose, D. B. (1996). Nourishing Terrains: Australian Aboriginal Views of Landscape and Wilderness. Canberra: Australian Heritage Commission.
UNESCO. (2019). Budj Bim Cultural Landscape World Heritage Listing. Paris: UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
Written, Researched and Directed by James Vegter 16/09/2025
Magic Lands Alliance
Sharing the truth of Indigenous and colonial history through film, education, land and community.
Copyright of MLA – 2025
Magic Lands Alliance acknowledge the Traditional Owners, Custodians, and First Nations communities across Australia and internationally. We honour their enduring connection to the sky, land, waters, language, and culture. We pay our respects to Elders past, present, and emerging, and to all First Peoples communities and language groups. This article draws only on publicly available information; many cultural practices remain the intellectual property of communities.