Native Plants, Foods and Medicinal Elements
Mushrooms in Victoria: Indigenous Knowledge, Ecology, and Cultural Science
MLA Educational Series — Country, Science, and Ecology
Mushrooms — the visible fruiting bodies of fungi — are among the most mysterious and ecologically important organisms in Victoria’s landscapes. For Indigenous peoples, including the Wadawurrung, Wurundjeri, Gunditjmara, and Dja Dja Wurrung communities, mushrooms were not merely food or curiosities: they were living indicators of seasonal change, soil health, and spiritual renewal. Long before Western science classified fungi, Indigenous cultures understood mushrooms as part of the intricate web connecting land, water, and air. They signalled rain, regeneration, and the hidden life of soil. While some species were cautiously eaten, many others were used symbolically in ceremony, healing, or fire-carrying. Today, mushrooms are being rediscovered as both ecological keystones and vessels of Indigenous knowledge, linking traditional environmental understanding with modern sustainability science.
Traditional Knowledge and Cultural Use
Observation and Ecological Understanding
Indigenous peoples of Victoria possessed deep ecological awareness of where, when, and how mushrooms appeared. After the first autumn rains, mushrooms were seen as signs that the earth was “breathing again” — that moisture had returned and the land was ready to regenerate. Mushrooms emerged across grasslands, forests, and wetlands, often following lightning storms or burns, marking the seasonal transitions important in Indigenous calendars. The Wadawurrung people of the volcanic plains observed that the sprouting of puffballs and ground mushrooms coincided with the fattening of animals and the renewal of food sources.
Food and Harvest
While some mushrooms were used as emergency foods, consumption required deep intergenerational knowledge to distinguish safe species from toxic ones.
Puffballs (Lycoperdon spp.) were the most widely eaten mushrooms. When firm and white inside, they were roasted or baked in ashes. Once they darkened and became powdery, they were used ceremonially rather than as food.
Native field mushrooms (Agaricus spp.) were known on some grassland plains, though used sparingly and with great care.
Truffle-like underground fungi, related to mushrooms but found beneath eucalypts and casuarinas, were known as earth food — eaten by small animals such as bettongs and occasionally gathered by people (Gott 2019).
These foods were gathered selectively and respectfully, ensuring spores were left behind to regrow. In this sense, mushroom gathering was both a meal and a form of ecological stewardship.
Medicine and Smoke
Certain bracket and shelf mushrooms growing on trees were burned to create smoke for respiratory relief, while other fungi were crushed into poultices to cleanse wounds (Southcott 1976).
On Wadawurrung Country, different kinds of smoke held specific healing powers:
White smoke from dried mushrooms or bark fungi was used to cleanse and calm the body after sickness.
Dark smoke was sometimes used in spiritual healing to “draw out bad spirit.”
These practices connected breath, smoke, and Country — healing not only the body but restoring spiritual equilibrium.
Mushrooms and Country
Wadawurrung Country
Across the plains and forests of Wadawurrung Country, mushrooms thrived after the autumn rains, especially in volcanic soils near the Barwon River, Ballarat, and the You Yangs. Puffballs, small brown caps, and coral mushrooms were common along grassland edges and under red gums.
Mushrooms were indicators of fertile soil and balanced moisture. When puffballs were abundant, it was a sign that murnong (yam daisy) and native grasses were also regenerating — a direct ecological link between fungi, plants, and people.
Tree fungi such as Phellinus and Ganoderma were prized for their ability to hold smouldering fire for long periods. These were carried from camp to camp, ensuring that fire — both practical and spiritual — was never extinguished. The fungi were also burned during smoking ceremonies, reinforcing their connection to purification, healing, and storytelling.
Other Victorian Indigenous Communities
Wurundjeri People (Central Victoria): In the wet forests of the Dandenong Ranges, bright coral fungi and bracket mushrooms were used in ceremonial smoke. Their appearance signalled the start of the cold season, guiding seasonal movements along the Birrarung (Yarra River).
Gunditjmara (South-West): Mushrooms and fungi were integral to wetland health at Budj Bim. The decay of fungi enriched eel-harvesting wetlands, creating nutrient-rich ecosystems that supported sustainable aquaculture.
Dja Dja Wurrung (Central Goldfields): The emergence of mushrooms after the first rains marked a time of ecological renewal. Fungal smoke was sometimes used in burial ceremonies to symbolise transformation — life returning to earth.
Ecological Science of Mushrooms
Modern ecology now confirms what Indigenous science long observed: mushrooms are vital to the balance of ecosystems.
Decomposition: Mushrooms recycle dead organic material, turning it into fertile soil and releasing essential nutrients for plants.
Mycorrhizal relationships: Many mushroom species form underground partnerships with trees, exchanging water and minerals through fine thread-like roots (hyphae).
Biodiversity: Fungal networks connect entire forests, allowing trees to share nutrients — a phenomenon now referred to as the “Wood Wide Web.”
Post-fire recovery: Mushrooms are among the first organisms to reappear after fire, stabilising soils and supporting regrowth.
These functions illustrate the Indigenous concept of fungi and mushrooms as “bridge-beings” — living between worlds of decay and renewal, darkness and light.
Changes Under Colonisation
Colonisation profoundly altered the fungal landscapes of Victoria.
Deforestation and grazing destroyed forest floor habitats and compacted soils, reducing native mushroom diversity.
Introduced species, such as the European field mushroom (Agaricus bisporus), displaced native species and spread through farmlands.
Loss of cultural transmission: Indigenous families were removed from Country, breaking the chain of teaching about edible, medicinal, and spiritual fungi.
Ecological imbalance: The disappearance of native animals like bettongs and potoroos — key spore dispersers — further disrupted fungal regeneration.
Yet despite these losses, mushrooms remain resilient, continuing to appear after rains and fires as reminders of Country’s enduring capacity to heal.
Mushrooms in Victoria Today
Victoria is home to more than 2,000 identified mushroom species, with hundreds more yet to be described (Fuhrer 2005).
In the Otways, Dandenongs, and Grampians, Indigenous communities are re-learning and teaching the ecological and cultural importance of mushrooms through guided walks, workshops, and school programs.
Cultural educators emphasise that mushrooms are not “bush tucker” alone — they are teachers. Their appearance tells us about rainfall, soil life, and the health of Country. The resurgence of Indigenous ecological knowledge is now informing environmental management, sustainable agriculture, and climate research.
The Future of Mushrooms and Cultural Knowledge
Reviving Indigenous knowledge of mushrooms offers opportunities for both cultural renewal and ecological resilience.
Education: Integrating Indigenous perspectives on fungi into curricula fosters respect for Country’s hidden ecosystems.
Conservation: Protecting forests, wetlands, and grasslands ensures that native mushrooms and their fungal partners survive.
Cultural leadership: Any future industries based on native mushrooms — whether for food, medicine, or ecological restoration — must be led by Indigenous communities, respecting cultural law and intellectual property.
Mushrooms remind us that the most important life often grows unseen — beneath our feet — connecting all living things through an ancient and sacred web.
Conclusion
For Indigenous peoples of Victoria, mushrooms were never isolated curiosities. They were healers, teachers, and indicators of Country’s wellbeing. From the puffballs of the volcanic plains to the coral fungi of mountain forests, mushrooms formed part of a living knowledge system that united ecology, food, and ceremony. Colonisation may have severed much of this continuity, but the knowledge endures — in stories, in Country, and in the mushrooms themselves, rising after rain to remind us that renewal follows every decay.
Reviving Indigenous science of mushrooms is not only about environmental understanding; it is about restoring relationship — between people, land, and the living soil that sustains both.
References
Atkinson, J 2002, Trauma Trails: Recreating Song Lines, Spinifex Press, Melbourne.
Clarke, PA 2009, Australian Aboriginal Ethnobotany: An Overview, CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.
Fuhrer, B 2005, A Field Guide to Australian Fungi, Bloomings Books, Melbourne.
Gott, B 2019, The Yam Daisy: A History of Aboriginal Plant Use in Victoria, Aboriginal Studies Press, Canberra.
Howitt, AW 1904, The Native Tribes of South-East Australia, Macmillan, London.
Robinson, R 2012, The Allure of Fungi, CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.
Southcott, R 1976, Medical Uses of Australian Fungi, Australian Journal of Ethnobotany, Canberra.
Victorian National Parks Association 2021, Fungi and Forests of Victoria, VNPA, Melbourne.
Written, Researched and Directed by James Vegter (22 September 2025)
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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.