Quandong

Native Quandong in Victoria: Fruit, Medicine, and Memory

The native quandong (Santalum acuminatum), often called the wild peach, is one of the most iconic fruits of the Australian continent — a plant of both sustenance and ceremony. Its bright red fruit, blue-green leaves, and deep taproot link the worlds of food, medicine, and spirit. For thousands of years, Indigenous communities across southern and central Australia — including peoples of Victoria’s western plains and semi-arid regions — gathered and traded quandong fruit as a food, healing plant, and sacred symbol of life’s renewal (Clarke 2009; Gott 2019).

The quandong grows best in dry, sandy, or rocky soils and often lives in symbiosis with other plants, drawing nutrients through parasitic roots. This ecological partnership reflects Aboriginal philosophies of interdependence — that survival and balance come from connection, not isolation (Pascoe 2014).

From the grasslands of Wadawurrung Country and the volcanic plains near Ballarat and Beaufort, to Gunditjmara Country’s basalt ridges and beyond to Wotjobaluk Country in western Victoria, quandongs were both a fruit and a story — marking trade routes, kinship exchange, and ceremonial time.

Description and Distribution

The native quandong is a small hemi-parasitic tree of the sandalwood family (Santalaceae), growing up to four metres tall.

• Leaves: Blue-green, leathery, and drought-resistant.

• Flowers: Cream or pink, blooming in spring and early summer.

• Fruit: Smooth, red, and round — 2–3 cm across — with a hard, ribbed seed.

• Habitat: Prefers open woodlands, grasslands, and arid plains; thrives on well-drained soils and coexists with host plants such as wattles and saltbush.

In Victoria, natural populations once occurred mainly across the Wimmera, Mallee, and volcanic plains, though they were also cultivated and traded beyond their natural range (Clarke 2009). Quandongs were part of the long-distance trade networks linking western Victoria to South Australia and New South Wales, exchanged for stone, ochre, and tools (Howitt 1904).

Traditional Food and Nutrition

Quandong fruit was a prized seasonal food — tart, aromatic, and full of vitality.

Fruit and preparation:
The ripe red fruit was eaten fresh, dried for later use, or pounded into pastes and cakes that could be carried over long journeys (Gott 2019). Drying concentrated the sugars and vitamin C, preserving the fruit for months. The kernel within the hard stone was also edible when roasted, with a rich, nutty flavour.

Nutritional value:
Modern analysis shows that quandong fruit is exceptionally rich in vitamin C, iron, zinc, and antioxidants, surpassing many introduced fruits (Clarke 2009; CSIRO 2020). Its tartness came from natural organic acids that aided digestion and metabolism.

Seasonality:
Quandongs ripened in late spring and early summer, marking the shift toward the dry season. The timing of their fruiting corresponded with the flowering of native grasses and migrations of key animal species — ecological signs used by Aboriginal communities to plan movement and harvest.

Medicinal and Healing Uses

Beyond food, quandong was a plant of medicine and spirit.

Fruit and leaves:
Infusions from crushed fruit or leaves were used to treat skin sores, infections, and rheumatism (Clarke 2009). The fruit’s high vitamin C content aided recovery from illness and boosted immune health.

Bark and roots:
The bark was steeped in water to produce a mild antiseptic wash for wounds, while decoctions of root bark were used to soothe colds and stomach ailments.

Kernel oil:
Oil from the roasted kernel was applied to dry or cracked skin, similar to the use of emu or eel fat in other regions (Gott 2019).

Spiritual use and cleansing:
In some regions, smoke from burning dried quandong leaves or bark was used to cleanse campsites after illness or to prepare for birth or ceremony. This reflected the tree’s association with renewal and regeneration — its bright fruit symbolising vitality and rebirth (Howitt 1904).

Cultural and Spiritual Significance

The quandong’s vivid red fruit represented blood, life, and continuity. Its deep roots reaching underground symbolised connection to ancestors and the unseen layers of Country.

In many Aboriginal traditions, the quandong tree was seen as a messenger plant — growing near old camps or ceremonial grounds, reminding descendants of continuity between people and land (Clarke 2009). The tree’s life cycle mirrored human stages: flowering for youth, fruiting for maturity, and decay for return to the earth.

On Wadawurrung Country, oral histories recall the sharing of fruits between families along the Barwon and Leigh River corridors, particularly during the warmer months when travelling between inland plains and the coast (Museums Victoria 2023). In Gunditjmara Country, dried quandongs were exchanged with neighbours for eel and fish, showing how bush foods linked ecological zones through kin-based trade.

Because the quandong was long-lived and regenerated from deep root systems, it was often planted intentionally near camps and resting places, forming part of a broader cultural landscape of cultivation — an Indigenous agroforestry practice now recognised by archaeobotanists as evidence of managed plant systems (Pascoe 2014).

Cooking and Preservation Methods

Quandongs were cooked and stored in several ways across Victoria and southern Australia:

• Fresh: Ripe fruit eaten raw, tart and refreshing.

• Roasted: Heated in ashes to soften flavour and release oils.

• Dried: Sun-dried or fire-dried and stored in woven grass containers for later use.

• Stewed or ground: Mixed with water or fat into a paste; sometimes combined with wattle seed or native millet as a travel cake.

These methods balanced nutrition and preservation. The drying process prevented mould in humid conditions, while roasting improved digestibility. The dual use of fruit and kernel exemplified the zero-waste ethic of Aboriginal food systems (Gott 2019).

Ecological Role and Science

Ecologically, the quandong is vital to dryland biodiversity.

• As a hemi-parasite, it attaches its roots to nearby hosts (usually wattles or saltbush), maintaining nutrient exchange across plant communities.

• The fruit provides food for emus, kangaroos, and birds, whose droppings disperse seeds over wide areas — a key process in dryland regeneration (CSIRO 2020).

• Its deep roots stabilise fragile soils and promote carbon cycling.

Traditional ecological knowledge recognised these roles long before Western science: Indigenous harvesters never over-picked; some fruits were always left for animals and regeneration, maintaining natural propagation cycles (Clarke 2009; Pascoe 2014).

Wadawurrung and Victorian Contexts

In Wadawurrung Country, quandongs once thrived on the dry inland plains between Geelong, Bannockburn, and Ballarat, particularly in sandy ridges near river corridors. Elders describe quandong groves as “memory markers,” often planted near pathways or meeting grounds to indicate safe stopping points.

The fruit was shared during seasonal gatherings, often dried and traded south toward the coast where it was valued as a sweet food among Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri communities. On Gunaikurnai Country, similar fruits such as native cherries (Exocarpos cupressiformis) and bush currants were used in the same way — showing how different plant species fulfilled related roles across ecological zones (Museums Victoria 2023).

Impacts of Colonisation

Colonisation brought extensive ecological change. Land clearing, grazing, and introduced pests destroyed wild quandong groves across much of Victoria. Loss of cultural burning further altered seed dispersal and soil health, while mission life restricted movement and food gathering (Pascoe 2014; Atkinson 2002).

European settlers briefly exploited quandongs commercially for jam production in the 19th century, but this trade ignored Aboriginal rights and knowledge, leading to overharvesting and decline. By the mid-20th century, natural quandong stands in Victoria had become rare.

Revival and Contemporary Significance

Today, the native quandong is being revived as both a bushfood and cultural resource.

• Indigenous nurseries and land councils are replanting quandongs in restoration projects across western Victoria and South Australia (Museums Victoria 2023).

• The fruit is once again featured in cooking — from jams and chutneys to sauces and tarts — while Elders teach its traditional uses for nutrition and ceremony.

• Aboriginal-led bushfood enterprises emphasise cultural authority and benefit-sharing, ensuring the plant’s return to Country also restores knowledge sovereignty (Gott 2019).

On Wadawurrung Country, new community gardens around Geelong and the Bellarine are reintroducing quandongs alongside murnong (yam daisy), wattle seed, and native grasses — reconnecting people to seasonal foodways that once shaped the region’s ecological rhythm.

Conclusion

The native quandong stands as both a fruit of sustenance and a tree of remembrance. Its sweet-sour flesh once fed travellers and families across the plains; its roots sustained soil and spirit alike. For Indigenous peoples of Victoria, the quandong embodies connection — between people, plants, and the cycles of life and renewal. Colonisation disrupted these systems, yet the tree survives, now replanted through cultural gardens and knowledge revival. In its resilience lies a lesson: that true nourishment comes not only from food, but from caring for the web of life that makes that food possible.

References

Atkinson, J 2002, Trauma Trails: Recreating Song Lines, Spinifex Press, Melbourne.
Clarke, PA 2009, Australian Aboriginal Ethnobotany: An Overview, CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.
CSIRO 2020, Native Foods and Ecological Restoration in Arid Australia, CSIRO Research Publications, Canberra.
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.
Museums Victoria 2023, Aboriginal Plant Foods and Bush Medicine Collections, Museums Victoria, Melbourne.
Pascoe, B 2014, Dark Emu: Aboriginal Australia and the Birth of Agriculture, Magabala Books, Broome.

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

MLA

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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.