Kooyang Yana | Kooyang Walk | Full Day Tour

DESCRIPTION

Meet at the Tae Rak Aquaculture Centre (Lake Condah), and transfer to the Kurtonitj Indigenous Protected Area (IPA)

Kurtonitj (meaning 'crossing place') is in the centre of the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape and has historical stone kooyang (eel) traps and stone channels, stone house sites and eel smoking trees. Your guide will show you these sites, as well as:

• an ancient smoking tree used for smoking kooyang (eels)
• an area of lava flow featuring two weirs
• a dam associated with trapping and holding kooyang
• Budj Bim seasonal calendar installation

After Kurtonitj visit Budj Bim National Park where you will enjoy morning tea.

Budj Bim is a Gunditjmara name for Mount Eccles, an inactive volcano located within the Western Victorian Volcanic Plains. The Gunditjmara call the area ‘Tungatt Mirring’ or Stone Country, and it is where the legend of Budj Bim began.

Your guide will take you on a cultural walk with key features of interest including Lake Surprise, lava tunnels, caves, forest and wildlife including an extensive koala population.

After visiting Budj Bim National Park, return to the Tae Rak Aquaculture Centre & Café for lunch (included).

After lunch, you will enjoy a Guided Cultural Walk of Tae Rak (Lake Condah) and the surrounding wetlands. Your guide will take you to the southern-western side of the lake for a cultural talk and a look at the:

• Extensive range of stone aquaculture sites
• Stone walls
• Birdlife and other wildlife

The walking tour finishes back at the Tae Rak Aquaculture Centre & Cafe at approx 4pm.

Note:

The full-day tour is a combination of our half-day tour, and our afternoon 2-hour tour, and includes lunch. You will be joined by participants from our 2pm tour for the afternoon portion of your tour.

Tour itineraries and sites visited may change without notice due to cultural reasons or circumstances beyond our control.

Tour Fee Includes:

Gunditjmara Aboriginal guide, transport, guided cultural walks, access fees, morning tea and lunch. Guide ratio - 1 for each 20 participants wherever possible.

Groups: rates and inclusions differ, see our Group Tours page.

Did you know?

Kurtonitj (meaning 'crossing place') is sacred to the Gunditjmara people with enormous cultural, archaeological and environmental significance.

What our customers say

This piece of national and global heritage should not be missed. Put it on your bucket list! 6000+ year old extensive aquaculture system managed by Gunditijmara people who are looking after it to this day, happy to share their knowledge with you. And now with the new tourist centre open you can try the traditional smoked eel for yourself! Plus eel arancini, eel pâté… and the most delicious lemon myrtle scones I’ve ever had. Make sure you book in for a tour and spread the word because all of humanity deserves to know about this incredible achievement. (Andrew July 2022)