Lime Caves

The Lime Caves of Victoria: Indigenous Use and the Impacts of Colonisation

Caves and rock shelters across Victoria — including limestone formations, volcanic lava tubes, and sandstone overhangs — have long been central to the cultural and spiritual lives of Indigenous peoples. For Nations such as the Wadawurrung, Gunditjmara, Djab Wurrung, Taungurung, and Gunaikurnai, caves were far more than geological structures. They were homes, ceremonial places, burial sites, and storied landscapes — spaces that connected people to the land, water, and spirit realms.

With the arrival of European colonists in the 1830s, these landscapes were radically altered. Limestone became an essential resource for lime burning, mortar, and cement production, leading to widespread quarrying that destroyed sacred sites and disrupted ancestral connections. Today, Indigenous communities across Victoria are working to protect and reclaim these heritage places through joint management and cultural renewal.

Indigenous Use of Lime Caves in Victoria

Shelter and Living Places

• Caves provided protection during cold seasons and were used by families during seasonal movements.

• Archaeological evidence of habitation has been found in Buchan Caves (Gunaikurnai Country) and lava caves around Budj Bim (Gunditjmara Country), revealing hearths, stone tools, and food remains dating back thousands of years (Flood, 2006; Coutts, 1981).

Ceremonial and Spiritual Sites

• Caves were closely tied to Creation Law and Ancestral Beings.

• The Buchan Caves feature in Gunaikurnai oral traditions as the dwelling place of water spirits linked to creation and balance (GLaWAC, 2021).

• Around Budj Bim, volcanic caves and sinkholes formed part of the Gunditjmara aquaculture system and ceremonial networks (McNiven & Bell, 2010; UNESCO, 2019).

• Access to particular caves was restricted according to cultural law — for example, some spaces were for men’s business or women’s initiation ceremonies.

Burial and Mortuary Practices

• Human remains discovered in limestone caves indicate their use as burial places (Mulvaney, 1975; Broome, 2005).

• These practices reflect Indigenous beliefs about the cyclical nature of life and spirit, with caves serving as protective gateways between worlds.

Art and Storytelling

• Though not as abundant as in northern Australia, Victoria’s caves preserve examples of ochre art, hand stencils, and engravings.

• These artworks record ancestral stories, totemic identity, and ecological knowledge, contributing to Victoria’s broader rock art heritage (McDonald, 2018).

Colonial Exploitation of Lime Caves

Quarrying and Lime Burning

• From the 1840s, colonists recognised limestone deposits as valuable for construction and agriculture.

• Lime kilns were established around Geelong, Portland, and Gippsland, often using limestone quarried from sacred cave systems (Sherratt, 2017).

• These industries destroyed or destabilised many caves, including those on Wadawurrung Country, used to build early Melbourne infrastructure (Victorian Heritage Database, 2023).

Tourism and Collection

• By the late 19th century, caves such as Buchan became tourist attractions marketed as natural wonders. Indigenous connections were omitted from public narratives, replaced by colonial “discovery” stories (Clark, 1990; Broome, 2005).

• Artefacts and ancestral remains were removed from caves and sent to museums in Melbourne, London, and other cities — acts that desecrated burial places and erased cultural meaning (Critchett, 1990).

Loss of Access

• Once cave areas became pastoral leases or government reserves, Indigenous communities were excluded.

• Access restrictions severed ongoing relationships between people, landscape, and spirit — breaking lines of cultural transmission and weakening oral traditions (Reynolds, 1987; Barwick, 1998).

Impacts of Colonisation on Cave Heritage

Cultural Disconnection

Colonial quarrying, mining, and fencing restricted access to ancestral caves. This separation undermined the spiritual and ceremonial practices that had sustained Country for millennia.

Desecration of Ancestors

Remains taken for “scientific study” or museum display represented deep spiritual violations. Indigenous communities continue to work for repatriation and reburial of these ancestors, restoring balance and respect (Broome, 2005; Clark, 1995).

Environmental Degradation

Limestone extraction and blasting altered fragile karst ecosystems. Cave systems collapsed or were contaminated by runoff, damaging both natural and cultural environments (Bowler, 1981).

Erasure of Indigenous Narratives

Colonial tourism and geology reframed caves as sites of European curiosity and resource extraction, silencing Indigenous voices. For decades, guidebooks failed to mention Gunaikurnai or Wadawurrung custodianship of these landscapes (Critchett, 1990).

Case Studies

Buchan Caves (Gunaikurnai Country)

• A key site of habitation and spiritual activity.

• Colonised in the 1840s and transformed into a tourist reserve in the early 1900s.

• Exclusion of Gunaikurnai people persisted until joint management agreements were established in the 21st century (GLaWAC & Parks Victoria, 2021).

Geelong and Bellarine Lime Kilns (Wadawurrung Country)

• Wadawurrung limestone deposits were heavily quarried for lime used in early Melbourne buildings.

• The lime industry erased cultural stories associated with local caves and coastal formations (Clark, 1995; Victorian Heritage Register, 2023).

Western District Lava Caves (Gunditjmara Country)

• Lava tubes near Budj Bim integrated with eel traps, wetlands, and settlement systems.

• Colonial pastoralism restricted access, but these are now protected under the Budj Bim UNESCO World Heritage listing for both cultural and geological significance (UNESCO, 2019).

Global Comparisons

• Māori (Aotearoa/New Zealand): Limestone burial caves were looted during colonisation; repatriation efforts continue under iwi leadership.

• Native American Nations: Sacred caves such as those in the Southwest were desecrated by mining and tourism.

• Sámi (Scandinavia): Sacred rock shelters were lost through forestry and settlement expansion (Helander-Renvall, 2010).
  These global parallels reflect a shared colonial pattern: Indigenous sacred landscapes transformed into extractive or recreational sites.

Healing and Protection in Modern Times

Repatriation of Remains

Museums and universities are returning ancestral remains to Traditional Owners. The Museums Victoria Repatriation Program and Return of Cultural Heritage Initiative are key examples (Museums Victoria, 2023).

Joint Management and Legal Protection

• Parks Victoria now co-manages the Buchan Caves Reserve with the Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation (GLaWAC).

• The Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006 (Vic) recognises caves as protected cultural heritage places (Victorian Government, 2022).

Cultural Revival

• Cultural education, oral storytelling, and language programs are reasserting Indigenous narratives of cave Country.

• Youth programs reconnect communities with traditional sites, ensuring the continuity of knowledge (GLaWAC, 2021).

Conclusion

For Indigenous peoples of Victoria, caves are living cultural places — shelters, burial grounds, and spiritual landscapes tied to Country and creation. Colonisation, however, transformed these sacred spaces into industrial and tourist sites, silencing ancestral voices.

From Buchan to Budj Bim, the story of Victoria’s caves reflects the broader colonial pattern: dispossession and desecration followed by resilience and renewal. Through joint management, repatriation, and cultural revival, Indigenous communities are reclaiming their role as custodians of these sacred landscapes — reuniting people, ancestors, and stone once more.

Reference List

• Barwick, D. (1998). Rebellion at Coranderrk. Canberra: Aboriginal History Inc.

• Bowler, J.M. (1981). ‘Australian Environmental Change: The Last 40,000 Years.’ In: A History of Australian Environment. Melbourne University Press.

• 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.

• Clark, I.D. (1995). Scars in the Landscape: A Register of Massacre Sites in Western Victoria, 1803–1859. Canberra: Aboriginal Studies Press.

• Coutts, P.J.F. (1981). Archaeological Investigations at Buchan Caves. Melbourne: Victorian Archaeological Survey.

• Critchett, J. (1990). A Distant Field of Murder: Western District Frontiers, 1834–1848. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press.

• Flood, J. (2006). The Original Australians: Story of the Aboriginal People. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin.

• GLaWAC & Parks Victoria (2021). Buchan Caves Reserve Joint Management Plan. Gippsland: Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation.

• GLaWAC (2021). Gunaikurnai Cultural Values of the Buchan Caves Area. Gippsland: GLaWAC.

• Helander-Renvall, E. (2010). ‘Animism, Personhood and the Nature of Reality: Sámi Perspectives.’ Polar Record, 46(1), 44–56.

• McDonald, J. (2018). Rock Art of Southern Australia: Contexts and Connections. Sydney: University of Sydney Press.

• McNiven, I.J. & Bell, D. (2010). ‘Fishers and Farmers: Historicising Aboriginal Aquaculture and Agriculture in Victoria.’ Aboriginal History, 34, 165–193.

• Museums Victoria (2023). Repatriation and Cultural Heritage Policy. Melbourne: Museums Victoria.

• Reynolds, H. (1987). The Law of the Land. Ringwood: Penguin.

• Sherratt, T. (2017). ‘The Lime Industry of Early Victoria.’ Victorian Historical Journal, 88(2), 65–84.

• UNESCO (2019). Budj Bim Cultural Landscape: World Heritage Listing. Paris: UNESCO World Heritage Centre.

• Victorian Government (2022). Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006 – Guidelines. Melbourne: Department of Premier and Cabinet.

• Victorian Heritage Database (2023). Lime Kilns and Quarry Sites of Victoria. Melbourne: Heritage Victoria.

Written, Researched and Directed by James Vegter (22 September 2025)

MLA

Sharing the truth of Indigenous and colonial history through film, education, land, and community.
www.magiclandsalliance.org

Copyright MLA – 2025

Magic Lands Alliance acknowledges 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 respect 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 their respective communities.