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Brewarrina Aboriginal fisheries conservation plan

Brewarrina Aboriginal fisheries conservation plan

Profile image of Gary VinesGary Vines

1994, report for the Brewarrina Aboriginal Cultural Museum, …

A historical and archaeological assessment of the Brewarrina stone fish traps in the Barwan River New South Wales, included analysis of the surviving structures, and how they were made, compilation of hsitorical and ethnographic data related to their construction and use, and conjectural reconstruction of their original form based on surveyor Matthews turn of the century recording and more recent high definition aerial photographs.

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I -. /1 n ...\ . .. ·,·. . . BREWARRINA ABORIGINAL FISHERIES·· , r •• : I ' CONSERVATION PLAN ' I i I n b1 r:\ L... . . ! i : i .; ｾﾷ｝＠ L. ,.... \ ' ' JEANNETTE HOPE and GARY VINES :.. j li: with contributions from Peter Dargin, George Gibbons, . . Nathan Perkins and Cliff Ogleby · 'j ＼Ｚｾ＠ f L.: l . ' .ｾＧ Ｇ ｉ＠ - \ A Repoti for the ｂｲ･ｷｾｩｮ｡ : ·· :·.'·j I MAY 1994 I l 9S£r. 01 .'j . ﾷ＠ Ab9riginal Cultural Museum' HoP .: ·,. ! . BREWARRINA ABORIGINAL FISHERIES . ·coNSERVATION PLAN Jeatrnette Hope and Gary Vines vvith contributions from Peter Dargin, George Gibbons, Nathan Perkins and CliffOgleby Prepared for the Brewarrina Aboriginal Cultural Museum Fnnded by a Grant from the National Estate Progra1mne ·. MAY 1994 ll .1 ·Produced by: Jeannette Hope POBox 702 MARRICKVILLE NSW 2204 . . 02 559. 1431 For: · Brewarrina Aboriginal Cultural Museum PO Box 12 BRE\VARRINA NSW 2839 068 392 421 -· ., .\ . ; May 1994 •, ACKNO,VLEDGMENTS This project was initiated by Les Darcy, Brewanina. It was funded by two National Estate Programme grants from the AustTalian Heritage Commission, administered by the NSW Department of Planning. Many people in Brewan:ina, including Les Darcy, Roy and June Barkei·, and·ｇｾｲｹ＠ l:Ord, provided valuable advice. Thanks are due to Ross 0' Shea of the . .Department of'Conservation and Land Management in Dubbo, the Museum of Applied ..Arts and Sciences, and Bill Tyrrell for assistimce with historic documents and photographs, ·· ·al1d to Graham Co.imah and Alan Jones, University of New England, for providing access to the 1980 aerial photographs. For mate1ial 01iginally included in Peter Dargin'sbook; Aboriginal Fisheries of the Darling-Bm:.vvon, thanks are due to the Mitchell Libra1y, North . West Rivers Tourist Association, Greg Jackson, and others listed in that book as providing information and assistance. · -BREWARRINA ABORIGINAL FISHERIES CONSERVATlON PLAN · . . SUlVIMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS i. I \ . . · ｾＱ｡ｰＮｩｮｧ＠ and Monitoring . RECOM:MENDATION 1 MAPPING The mapping project should be completed as a high primity. . .. RECOMMENDATION 2 AIR PHOTOGRAPHY . · A new set of air photographs should be run as soon possible . as l 3 .GROUND PHOTOGRAPHY . RECO:rv11\1ENDATION . Three sets ·of new &rround photographs should be mitde, in conjunction with the surveying and air photography. . . RECOMMENDATION 4 FUTURE MONITORING A long term ｰｬ｡ｾＺｦｯｲ＠ !llonitoring should be set ur). ,. ' ; Restoration.and Reconstruction· . RECOl\11\1ENDA TION S RESTORATION No restoration of any original wall or trap (Sets Band C of the Fisheries) should he done at the present time. . . . . H.ECOMMENDATION 6 RECONSTRUCTION Reconstluction is acceptable for Sets A and P of the Fisherie::.;. RECOl\11\1.ENDATION 7 OE.IGINAL l\1ATERIALS No new rock should be introduced.into the river. . . I .I RECOl\ILMEl''lDATION 8 RECORDING RECONSTRUCTION be kept of the reconstructior___,lp'-r_oc_·c_ss_··----- -------------Careful ｴ･｣ｾｮﾷ､ｳ｟ｭｵ＠ ' IV .Tr:aining and Trial Construction ·. ｾ［ｊｦｫＺｬＡ｣Ｈ＠ ·.i .. Ｎ ｾｯ Ｎ ｵｬｾ＠ ｢･ｾＺＧｪ Ｎ＠ .. . . . . . ! . . . !! ! National Parl1.s an<L \iVildlife Service --- . . ﾷＭ Ｍ Ｍ Ｍ Ｍ Ｍ ｾﾷ＠ RECOMMENDATION 10 NPWS PERMIT · The ｾｲ･｡ｩｮ＠ ｃｾｬｴｵｲ｡＠ Heritage M1iseum ｾｨｯｵｬ､＠ apply :a the·National Parks Ｚ ｾｭ､＠ YJildlife ServJce ior a ＱＲｾｭｵｴ＠ to carry out reconstruch<:m work on Sets A and D of the F1shenes. _ · Education and Tourism · - -- - ·- - - -·- - -- - -·- - - - - · - . - · - ·- ·- - - - --- -·- -·- - -- --.- - RECOMMENDATION 11 INFORMATION SIGNS A set of photometal information signs should be constructed at vantage points along the river banlc f. I .I Further Studies of the Fisheries I ; RECOMMENDATION 12 ABORIGINAL ORAL HISTORY An oral history project should be set up to bring together all the ·memories and stories about the Fisheries. · RECOMJviENDATION 13 HISTORIC RESEARCH There is a need for more research, especially in old newspapers, to locate other historical . records and especially photographs of the Fisheries: . . . . · RECOMJ\1Et'-rDATION 14. '\VALL CONSTRUCTION Ft11ther stud}r of the sttucture and the method of building of the surviving wails is needed .. ! l . RECO:MMENDATION15 EXCAVATION OF SILT BANKS . Careful. excavation, using archaeological ｴｾ｣ｮｩｱｵ･ｳＬ＠ should he carried out on one or more\ of the silt biinks to check whether some ongmal walls may be preserved there. . . RECOlVITviENDATION 16 SITE SURVEY ALONG THE BAI·r WoN· RIVER A.n Abotiginal site survey of theBrewarrina area is ree.ommended. RECOMMENDATION 17 WHEN AND HOW THE FISHERIES WORKED .. A I}rojcct should be set up to compare the historic river height records with the positions the traps on the ｲｯｾｫ＠ bar to model how the Fisheries ｷｯｲ｝ｾ･､｟＠ as the ｾｩ＠ rose and ｦ･ｾ ＮＺ｟Ｍ I ofl " ·; •• j ! i ·' . :' ·care of the ｅｮｶｩｲｯｭ｣ｾｴ＠ - - - --- -- --- -- - RECOlV[I\1E:NDATlON 18 . · ·· ｃｌｔｾａｎＭｕＮｐ＠ of .t he ｬｾｩｳｨ｣ｲ･ Ｎ＠ AND · ｊ｜ ﾷ Ｑａｬｎｔ｛ｾｃＨ＠ 0 fi' THE FISI-IERIES AND.Rl.VER BANKS All rubbish should be removed from The Fisheries and the river hanks, and ti.1turc clean· · ups should be done regularly. RECOJVI:MENDATION 19 ENVIRONMENTAL REHABILITATION The Brewanina Aboriginal Cultural Museum ｳｨｯｾｬ､＠ particip.ate with the Shire Council and other cmrununity groups to set up a revegd:ation program along :the river banks, ·. :. CONSERVATION RECOMMENDATION 20 FISHERIES AND RIVER BANKS The Brewanina Aboriginal Cultural Museum should ｰ｡ｲｴｩｾ･＠ PLANNING. FOR THE with the Shire Council, community groups and government departments such as the Deportment of Conservation and Land Management, and the Water Resources Commission to set up conservation guidelines for The Fisheries and the river banks. !' . Vl.l CONT ENTS ; ·. t · ' INTHODUCTJ ON 1.1 · 1.2 . 1. 3 1.4 1.5 -2 The Brewani na Aboriginal ｆ Legal status of the Fisheries ｩ ｳｨｾ ｲｩ ･ｳ＠ l 1 . 4 \Vhat is a.Conservation Phm 4 _ Preparing the Consexvation Plan i. , ｾ＠ The Aboriginal Conununity vVHAT WE KNOW ABOtrr THE FISHERIES 2.1 2.2 : 2.3 2.4 Sources of mfonnation Abol'igi.i1al knowledge Historical records .Studies of the Fisheries 3 NATTJRE OF THE FISHERIES 3.1· Records of the Fisheries · a. written descliption b. historic plans c. historic photographs d . modem photographs e. aerial photographs f modem plans g; NPWS site records h. field observations What remains of the Fisheries Stn1ctu:re as seen on early plans Structure as seen today . .. Types of construction 3.2 . 3.3 3.4 3.5 4 \VI-IY THE F ISHERIES ARE Uv1PORTANT 4,1 ··What is cultural significance · Assessi.rlg cultural sigr1ificance Criteriaforthe Register of the National Estate Significance assessment of the Brewanma Fisheries Statement of significance 4 ') Ｍｾ＠ 4.3 4..4 4.5 . 11 11 I, 14 . ( i 18 20 20 27 34 34 35 35 38 39 39 40 4-3 44 59 59 61 61 73 .. . "-' . t I vii.i \iVHAT SHOULD . ｦＭｗ＾ｐｬｾｎ＠ TO THE rqs.HERIES 5.1. Options for the Brewanina Fisheties 5.2 5. .::1 5.4 5. 5 5. 6 Oplion 1 Do nothing-leave the I•)sheries as they arc now Option2 $tabilif.le structures ns they a rc Opiion 3 Restorati6n or Reconstruc tion of the Fisheries Technical aspects of clJy stone construction Developing n con.se1vation policy 6 . ·j . 76 77 78 f i 79 81 85 RECOJ\1M.ENDATI.ONS '6.1 . 1\/fapping and morutoring 6.2 . Restoration and reconstruction Training and trial construction 6.3 National Parks and \V'ildlifeService 6.4 6.5 .. Education and tourism Further studies of the Fishe1ies 6.6 ·6.7 . Care of theenvi.ronrrJeht of the Fisheties 86 87 89 89 90 90 92 . I I APPENDIX 1 R. H. Mathews' The Aboriginal Fisheries at Brewarrina . 101 .L\.PPENDIX 2 . A.W. ｍｵｬ･ｮ 107 APPENDIX3 Historic photographs APPENDIX 4 Geology of the Fisheries by ｇ･ｯｾﾷｧ＠ APPENDIX5 ｾ ｳ＠ field notes · 109 Gibbon Description of some ｳｵｩＺｾｶｮｧ＠ traps and watls by Gary Vines 114 . A4.1 Structures of Aboriginal coi1sttuctiori A4.2 Structures of probabie Aboriginal construction .A4.3 Modem reconstruction or new construction APPENDDC 6 Cultural significance criteria A.PPENDIX 7 Surveying and Mapping by Clifi Ogleby REFERENCES 112 119 .1.21 136 LX . FIGURES ·, . FICr 1 Location of Fisheries. Mtlp of Murray-Darling .River, ff()ln Dargin 1976 f). 32. · · FIG 2 Mullen's plan, draftman 1s version fi·om Darginl976 p. 37, courtesy Department <if Conservation and Land Management. Abori6rinalnames added horn Mathews 1903, "Phoi(>graph p. 41 11 re.fers 1.oDargin 1976; see Photo 7 in this report. . . ' . . . FIG 3 The Fi.<:heries in 1980, ·based on a tracing of the rectified 1n0 airphot.ographs, see section 3.1. Drawing Jemmette Hope. (Air Photos in map pocket). i !. FIG 4 Parish map ofBrewarrina, courtesy Department of Conservation and Umd management. ! I FIG) Caclastraltnap ofBrewanina, with fish-traps shown from Mullen's field survey book (see Fig 10). ·Courtesy Department of Conservation and Land Management. FIG 6 Aboriginal tribal areas ｡ｲｯｵｾ､ｂ･ｷｩｮＬ＠ 32 after Tindale 1974, from Dargin 1976 P. FIG 7 River captain's chart ofBrewanina Fisheries, hom Dargin 1976 p. 46. FIG 8 R.tl. Jvtathews' plan of the Fisheries, sUt:veyed 1901, published in Journal of the Royal Society ofNSW, 1903, page 49 FIG 9a R.H. Mathews' original plan, assumed to be from his field notebook (page 49) . . This copy froin Les Dargin, Brewanma, location of original uncertain. Plan is titled: "June 22, 23, 1902 Sutvey of The Native ｆｾｳｨ･ｲｩ＠ in the Darling River at Brevv·arri.n.a". FIG 9b . R.H. lvfathews' original p1an, assuined to be ｩｾｯｭ＠ his field notebook (page 50). · This copy from Les Dm·gin, Brewanina, location of original uncertain. . . . FIG 10 Mullen's original 1906 field book sketch. Couitesy Department of Conservation and Land Management. FIG 11 Di<tgrams of traps, yards andwalls. Drawing Jeannette Hope. FIG 12 Numbering system of traps shmvn on Mullen's 1906 plan. Drawing Jeannette Hope. FIG 13 Numhetjlg ｳｹｴｾｭ＠ Hope. of traps shown on 1irathews' 1903 plan. Drawing Jeannette. FIG 14 Probable relationship of walls ｳｵｮｾｶｩｧ＠ Drawing Jeannette Hope. · in 1980 to ｍ｡ｴｨ･ｷｳｾ＠ and Mullen's plans. ·'I I I FIG 15 Displacement o(Ktlllur.(King) and.Dnetraginni (Queen) iu Mullen's plan, based on survey by Harold Jackson, December ｾＹＱＮ Ｎ＠ . . . . . · FIG 16 Sketch of wall on northemside ofTrap C6. Drawing Gary Vine, modified Jcarmette Hope. ·. . . . . FIG· 17 C:ompatison of trees in ｰｨｯｴｧｲ｡ｾＮ Photo 13. . . ﾷ＠ . . A Photo 10, B Photo 11, C Photo 12, D . . . . FIG ).8 Diagram showinglocations and general directions of historic photographs . . Drawing Jeannette Hope. . . FlG 19 Diagram showing locations and general directions of following set. of 1991 photographs. l)rawing Jeannette Hope. · FIG 20 ｢･ｾｬｯｰｭｮｴ＠ of rock bar at Brewarrina. Drawing George ·Gibbons. · FIG 21 Plan of rocks and.water contour!S, October 1993. Cliff Ogleby · FIG 22 Plan of rocks, river bank anci bottom contours, l)ctober 1993. Cliff Ogleby. FIG 23 Plan ofrocl<s and bank contours, October 1993, ｾｨｯｷｩｮｧ Cliff Ogleby. ﾷ ｰｯｳｩｴｮ＠ ofFigs 24-32 FIG 24 Plan of rocks in area ofB8, B9, Bll, B12, Bl3 . CliifOgleby FIG 25 Plan of rqcks in area of C3, C4, C5, C6. Cliff Ogleby . . - ., '.! .. . FIG 26 Plan of rocks in area of C3 and C4. Cliff Ogleby. . . . FIG 27 Plan of rocks in area of walllmking north bank to D 1. CliffOgleby Fig 28 Plan of rocks in area of A7 and A8. Cliff Ogleby. FIG 29 Plan ofrocks in area ofB2, B3, B4 and Wall B4\B5. CliffOgleby . . . . I . . .FIG 30 Plan of rocks in area ofB2, B3, B4 and Wall B4\B5, enlargement of Fig 29. ClilT Ogle by FIG 31 Plan of rocks in area B6, B 7 and 88. Cliff Ogle by. . . FIG 32 Pl311 ofrocks ill area of B). ·ClilfOgieby · INSIDE BACK COVER FIG 10 A.W. Mullen's original1906 field book sketch. Courtesy Department of Conservation and ｾ｡ｮ､＠ JVhmagement. Xl ｾＬ Ｍ ! . . Ｍｾ -PHOTOGRAPHS Photo l Looking upslreiui.1 along Fisheries, cnrly this century. ｐｨｾ＾ｴｯＮｧｲ｡ｰ＠ labelled _ "'Fisheries Brcwanu1a W. Falk", sburcc unknown. Note l>ilddlchoats in deeper ·. water ab<>vc the rock bar. Photo 2. Close-up of traps, Sd D, D6 in foreground, D5 centre, D3 top len. TyiTeU Collection No. 75:5()5 or 510. Dargm 1976 p. 40. Photo 3 Aboriginal Fisheries, Darling River, N.S.W. 1387; H. King. Sycl." Probably Set D, D6 in foreground, DS behind. Dargin 1976 p. 35. Photo 4- Looking upstream along Fisheries, Dnemmginni (Queen Rock) in foreground . . Trap C7 on left, ('6 centre, B 8/9 on right. Tytrell Collection75/509, Dargi_n 1976 p. 42. .. ..· Photo 5 Looking upstream,-1971, from same position as Photo 3. Dargin 1976 p. 43. Photograph Greg Jackson. Photo 6 Looking upstream, Deceml?er 1991_, fi·om same position as Photos 3 and 4. ·Photograph Jeannette Hope. Photo 7 "The Brewarrina Fish Traps", looking across SetD; foreground from left to right, probably D2, D3, D5 and D6; topcentre Dl. Photograph source unknown. . Photo 8 View across river from south bank Walls in foreground probably belong to B12 and B 13. The ctoss in the tree on the far bank shows the tlo6cl kvel. Tyrrell Collection 75/512, Dargin 1976 p.41. Photo 9 '\riew across rivet in December 1991 from same positioii as Photo 7; Photos can . be matched using the pointed rock in the centre of each. Note same three trees on far right of each photograph. 'B)' 1991 the foreshore had silted up and was covered with dense reeds mal<ing photography difficult. Photograph Jeannette Hope. Photo 16 Vievv· of main channel early this century from s.outh banlc: Markers on t1:ees · were for liver captains. Trap in foreground probably A7; A4 and AS top left. Tyn·ell CoUection No. 75i504, Dargiri 1976 p.47. · Photo 11 Vie\v of main channel early this century from south l1ai1lc Photograph l<1bellecl · "Blacks Fisheries on the Darling", source unlmowh. .Tlus photo was taken from the same position as Photo 9, and some of the trees can Ee' matched up. However, it is a later photograph than Photo 9 since the tree with the inarkers has gone. Photo 12 View of main channel in 1971 from same position as Photos 9 m1cll0. Some of the trees can still be recognised, Photograph Qreg Jackson . . ; I ' ; ;. ! ;· . x:ii l ': '; ': '' of ｭｾ｜ｩｮ＠ channel in Decembet· 199f from same i)osition as Photos· 9, 1() ｾｭ･ｬ＠ 1 L Some ofthe trees can still be recogn ised. Parl of the weir ｣＼ｾｮ＠ he seen at top 1ighL .Photograph Jeannette Hqpe. Photo 13 ｖｩ･ｾ＠ . ., . . . . Photo 14 View upstream ｡ｬｯｾｧ＠ Fisheries, early this cmtt1ry. TyiTell .｣ 75/507, Dargin 1976 p.44. Ｚ Ｇｯｕ･｣ｴｩｾ＠ No. Photo 15 View upstream along Fisheries, 1971, from same position as Photo. 13, ｾ＠ 1976 p. 45. Photograph Greg Jacksori. -· · ｄ｡ｾ . ' ﾷ ｧｩｮ＠ • · Photo 16 Looking across river from south bank, early this century, possibl)' looking across Set C. Tyn-el1Col1ection 75/511, not in Dargin 1976. . . Photo 17 View across river from south bank early this century, Dnenaginni (Queen Rock) on left front, K.iJ.Tagurra rock on far bank on right. Probably B6 on right, B5 on left. Tyn·eU Collection 75/508, Dargin 1976 p.4-8. . Photo 18 View across river in December 1991 from san:e point as Photo 17. Photograph Jeannette Hope. · · Photo 19 ·Looking downstream along Fisheries in 1971. Photograph NQrth Western Rivers Tourist Association. Photo 20 Grinding grooves on rock on south hanl( of river, adjacent to rock named Muar, December 1991. ｐｨｯｴｧｲ｡ｰｾ＠ Jeannette Hope. . Photo 21 Grit1:ding groov<?s on rock on south bank of 11ver, ｡､ｪ｣ｾｮｴ＠ D ecember 1991.. Photograph Jearmette Hope. to rock named lVluar, Photo 22 . view ｡ｾｲｯｳ＠ river frorri south bank; early this century .. Probably looking across B11 .. 13 area. Trees onrigbtofthisphoto"are same as trees on lefl ofPhotos 9-12. Not included in Dargin 1976. Photograph Mitchell Library. Photo 23 View across river from south bank, eariy this century. Taken from slightly to the left'(west) ofPhoto·20, shov\,ing sa:m e traps (probably B 11 - 13) from slightly higher ·viewpoint. Not inc1uded in Dargin 1976. Pholograph :tviitchell Library. · · Photo 24 View across river hom north bank, looking towards towi1, December 1991. Kullur (King Rock) in centre of photo, wall running to the left is probably B8/.9:. ·· Photograph Jeannette Hope. View across river ±!·om south bank at downstream of ,s'ystem. Note sill banks and Photo 25 . . . . straight rows of rocks left of centre. Rectangular pattern is modem structure X2. Photograph Jeannette Hope. ' '' x.iii .i Photo 26 View across river from north bank at upstream end, near weir, in December 1991 ｾ＠ Note vegetation on silt. ｾＩ｡ｲｴｫｳＮ＠ Photograph Jeannette Hope. outcrops on no1ih bank at upstrcaincncl,. ncar weir, December Photo 27 ·v iew of ｾﾷｯ｣ｫ＠ 199l.Photograph Jeannette Hope: · · \' I I ! Photo 28 Close-up of collapsed walls in Set C, looking across 1ivcr ii·om sou!h, December . · · 1991. Photograph Jeannef·te+Iope. ' Photo 29 Peter Dargin indicating depth of wall below water level. December 1991. ./'-Photograph J eannelte Hope. · . , .. Photo .30 View across river from soulh, showing surviving walls of Set C, December · 1991. Photograph Je;jnnette Hope. Photo 31 Close up of walls in Photo 30, December 1991. Photograph Jeannette Hope . . .. Photo 32 Vieyv across river from south, showing walls in Set B , December 1991. Straight wall in centre left, B8/9, is same as that shown in Photo 24. Photograph,Jeannette · Hope. Photo 33 Close-up of walls in Photo32, December 1991.. Photograph ｊ･ｾＱｭｴ＠ Hope. Photo 34 Siltbarik on north bank, December 1991. Photograph Jeannette Hope. . . Photo 35 Peter Dargin standing on silt bank,.December 1991. This is close to the position ofsilt bankusecl by Mullen as central point for his 1906 survey. Photograph Jeannette ｈｯｰ･ ｾ＠ · · . . INSIDE BACK COVER Brewanina Fisheties photomosaic, based on 1980 air photographs. 2 sheets. . .... · ,· ..t·· MURRAY, DARLING, BARWO N RfVER SYSTEM ｾﾭ ＭｾﾷＧ 1 . 1-- I l l - - .......; - - - - ........ cr 0 ' ' ;' __ _ ｾ＠ Wh ite • Cliffs ............ I,/ ｾ -Q ＯＡ＠ "-an ｾ｡ｲｯ＠ o • -1 · ,.:\ . . Louth. ｮ＼ＮｃＯｷＭｩｬ＠ ••...... \ ｾ＠ \·YI,trren.._ \%＿Ｎｾ＠ l l i I ＮＭｶｾＨ［＠ Lake Waljeirs ｾＬﾷ＠ / . ｲＭｾﾷ 0 • \ '- 0 !::» ...... a· Ｍ. !:l J .· ｾ＠ . fii' ::r' Ｎ ｾ＠ ;:l. .;-C• \ . . 9,- \ ｾＮ＾Ｍ＠ \. ｾ＠ ?' ｾ＠ :-o Ｎｾ＠ Ne\\'c astl e 0 1-+j ( '·-... ｾ＠ " ., ---------\.: ) 0 · >T, · _____ . 1l Bathurs t . ' '"<;-. tl· ｾ＠ \ · \ ';< L< -fT ··• • ' . -i···· . ｾＭ Cl t-,ﾷ Ｎ ｃｾ［Ｎ＠ ---.·,_ Wellington . Ｏ ｾ＠ r.· -......;/ . . 1 ,p ｾ＠ ｾ＠ｲ \ < \-:__'i) 1··, \ Dt1bbo ·-,, I l •. Namoi Ｑｾ＠ . , .;---: =: . 'Tj 1-< ·._ 'o;,... •. I l ;- ·. 0 ' ﾷｾ＠ \ Ｍｾ -, ·,, . --·- .. Ｍ ,_ .. etl I . <. ｾＭ［Ｚ Ｍｾ＠ 1 · E ｾ＠ ﾷ ｾ＠ I ｾ＠ v ...,..,8-: (JQ (ioohva Murray/{ _.J. l.--.-/' . Js!ancl ･ｷ｡ｭ ［Ｎｾ＠ ｾ Ｍ ｾ＠ . Cobar. . .. •. ci..;/Muni!indi ·v.. Collyrnon... k :...:r7ot::---·· ..,...- . ,: I u · ·· · . ｾ＠ -· ... . :--Ｎ｟Ｈｾ＠ BowL --,; 0.: •Cd· _ ｍｯＧＢ［ｮ｢､ｧﾷｾ＠ AdelL) ｾＯ＠ Y //f . i.f '<(:- Ｍ ｾＸｲ . · Ｂ］Ｇ｟ＺＮＬＭｾ＠ -......'0_. .:::: ! (.; I I) " Ｍ ｾ＠ - Ｖｾ＠ Wilca nnia Wentwonh > v ;{: : ｾ＠ j . ·y Ｍ ｾＧ o· t, ｾ＠ ｾ＠ -y - t.b "' 0 ·:::- -----------., ,.._ ' Ｍｾ＠ - . Ｇ＠ ｾ＠ tv j ﾷ ｾ＠ cr. ,.... ? tJ E<:huca ｾＭ ｾ ｾ＠ ﾷ＠ ..... \C 0 0 50 50 1QO 150 100 150 200 2:SO 'J 0\ "0 w ·to,) ·, ... - -.-... -; ..-.. .I INTRODUCTION ·.. L 1 The Bre·warrina Aboriginar Fisheries The Brcwanina Abotiginal Fisheries me " COJ.:..nplcx atTangemertt of stone fish traps ｾｮ､＠ walls, nearly ｨ｡ｬｾ＠ a kilometre in length. They are built on a rock bar in ｴｨｾ＠ Barwon River, a major tributary of the Darling · River in westem · New South \iVales. The Fisheries - determined the location of the town of Brewanina, · . because ·the rock bar allo\ved an easy · crossing 'of the Barwon River. The Fisheries were built . by Aboriginal people at some unknown time in the past. When Europe::ins anived on the Banvon in the 1850s, they noted ｴｨｾ＠ Fisheries,recorcled their Aboriginal name, "Noimh" or "Ngunnhu", and the fact that they had been constmcted ancl were· used by. the . .local Aboriginal people, the Ngembah. As Aboriginal society was disrupted ?-rid . destroyed, the Fisheries fell ·into disuse and disrepair. Some of the walls were partly demolished to allow access .by paclclleboats, and for the constmction of a ·. causeway. Nearly 50 years passed before · · a detailed description of the Fisheries \Vas written, by R.H. Mathews in the early 1900s. hook Aboriginal Fisheries ｲｾｦ＠ the · Darling-Bai·won RiYers was published in 1976. By this time, Aboriginal sites in New South Wales were under the · protection of the Nation?l Parl<s and Wildlife Act 197 4, and .the site was · included in the NS W Sites Register, and later, in the ·Register of tbe National Estate. These actions were recognition of . the site's existence and importance, but no .detailed site record was made. In 1988, the Brewarrina Aborig]nal conununity obtained a Bicentennial Grant build a.cultural centre and museum on . the banks of the Barwon, beside the Fisl1erie.s. The · ｂｲ･ｷ｡ｩＺｵｾ＠ Aboriginal ·Cultural Centre is a circular, partly underground building, whose focal point . is a fountain, syrnbolic ofthe ｆｩｳｨ･ｲｾ＠ to · In 1991, ·on the initiative of Les Darcy, . one .of the founders of the Cultural Centre, the ·Museum was awarded a . National Estate Program grant for a Conservation Plan for the Fisheries, \:Vith · · ｾ＠ · view ·to . restoration. · This is . the · Consen·ation Plan produced under the 1991 and a subsequerit 1993 National Estate Grant. His infom1ation came from Aborig]na1 . people he had met over previous years. By the time A. Vl.Mullen surveyed the site for the Westem Land Commission in 1906, there were .Aboriginal people left who had · any personal experience . with the traditional use or ｭ｡ｩｮｴ･ｾ｣＠ of · the Fisheries. no The l-'isheries were neglected for a further 70 years, until Peter Dargin's 1.2 Legal Status of' the Fisheries The Bre\:V<U1ina Aboriginal Fisheries are protected as a "relic" under the National · Parks.,ancl Wil_dlife Act 1974. This ｭ･ｾｮｳ＠ that, legally; the site cannot be destroyed, defaced ·or damaged without .the consent of the Director of National Parks and Wildlife. By government policy such consent .ts not given witbou.t consultation .; 2 ｾ＠ : i• FIG 2 Mullen's -plan, draftman 's. version fl·om Darg1n.l976 p. 37, courtesy .Department of Conservation and Land Management. Aboriginal names added Jiom Mathews .1903, . ''Photograph p. 41" refers to Dargin 197 6; sec Photo 8 in this report. . \ ｜ｾＧ＠ .. ,,,,·· ＭｾＺ <..D ﾷ［Ｎ＠ 0 J. ｾ＠ . : :· · !- -o 2J !.... "'c: 0 :n Dro ,) .... -d ...t· ...... <;;,/ "> > 0 :::;l ({l . t/) 'U Dl ,;, ;!:! ......., co ? !.... ' :::1 ... ._,.., .c c • ·co c: ::n ....J t>l ? · . t:>l -- c: !.... u ::J 'C"" ｾＬＧＱ＠ ｾ ·;s: . .;,c t... : :::1 -;;.) ﾷ ＫＭ lfl ﾷ＠ If) '. '+- ｾ＠ "' ., D -i- ro Cl ［ｩ｝ｸｾ＠ '3 Ｎｾ｟Ｍ］ Ｍ ｾ＠ . ' i . <( . ｾ＠ m ｾ＠ 0 " .:< E z ""<f UJ Q. :r.: ...c Q. t- t .9 :;I, u:. 0 ::> :r: z z ::J I . ! c Ul Ｍｾ＠ 0 ..c c.. ...c ..r. ｾ＠ ....{) ·c: <... ·c: CJ .g n...: z "' ...: :::; :2 < ro '" 1.. 1.. ::J bO "' 1.. 1.. OJ ::J 0 D. c 'tiJ ｾ＠ ::J c 0 ｾ＠ t I u Q U1 <=::>:. V""'-" ·>------).H Ｍｾ ｾ＠ Ｍ ｾｲ＠ . 3 FIG 3 The ｆｩｳｨ･ｴ ｾ＠ in ·19lW, based on a tracing ｯｦｴｬｈ ｾ＠ rectified 198<i.air photograt)hs, see section 3.l. Drawing Jeannette Hope. (Air Photos in mnp pocket). · ; ! . i I ' • .... ' "' ｾ .... · .Ｇ＠ . .',· ··. :· . ..·. .with and ｡ｧｲｾ･ｭｮｴ＠ ﾷ ｌｯｾ｡ｬ＠ 'from. the appropriate . Aboriginai Land Cour1cil. . It is probable that conservation works aimed at the .restoration of a 11 relic tl need the Gonsent of the Dirt:ctor of National Parks and WildW:C, although .there.· have · l?een few . precedents ｩｲｾｶ＼＾ｬｮｧ＠ the restoration of Aboriginal sites, apart from rock art coriservation. The Fisheries are registered as a heritage item of .· national significance on · the Register of the. National Estate ｭ｡ｩｮｴｾ･｣＠ by ｴｨｾ＠ Australian Heritage ·Commission. .decay due to both human and natura,l forces, becat!Se of a declitte in use and ｭ＼ｾｩｮｴ｣｡･Ｎ＠ Cmnpared .with . its fcirm when in traditional use, the Fisheries are ·novv rums. (a) to leave the Fisheries as they are now, as a min, but as a mernotial to past Aboriginal heritage. Few Conservation Plans have been done fcir Aboriginal heritage places, because it is more corrimon to conserve such sites as they are now, by ·protecting them hom damage by human or natural causes. Ofteirthisis by means of fencing, erosion control or-stabilisation and revegetation oftlw land .whel'e the site is located. The Brew<u'rina Fisheries are in effect an engli1eenng . work which has sutTered \ \ \ ·. I I the Resources. to ! . Befon; a decision can be made on · whether . to restore the Fisheries, it is · necessary to find out if any original walls are left, if the building rnethod can be worked out, and whether it is in fact possible to restore the traps and walls: It is important that any restoration is as faithful as possible to the original, ill. order to pteserve the significance of the site. The The purpos·e of a Conservation Plan is to spell out what is imp01tant about a place and why. A Conservation Plan is usually .· done when changes i\re proposed, for example, restoration or alterations to an .historic building. The aim is ensure that the alterations do riot detract froi11 the heritage signii'icance of the place;. :b:ut preferably enhance and conserve ｴＱｾｳ･ﾷ＠ things about it that make it important. l I ' The Fisheries are located in the bed of the Barwon River, which falls into the jurisdiction of the Department of Water 1.3 What is a Conservation.Plan? ·: l options discussed Conset-vation Plan are: (b) to . stabilise the Fisheries as they are .now,· .with the aim of slowing further decay. to restore patis (c) . . of the Fisheries to a fom1 t-hey once had. This is only possible · where walls · are still standing, and enough original rocks and information about the oriE:,rinal fotm are available. (d) to. reconstruct parts of the Fisheties which . are tota.Uy lost, if · enough information about the origiilal form is available. 1. 4 Preparing the Conservation Plan There have beetl special probletns with the .preparation of the Conservation Plan, becmi.se of the lack of experience in , Australia in dealing with restoration ·l .! 5 FIG 4 Parish map of :Brewan:ina, · courtesy Depadt:nent of Conservation and Land management '. ·i ·'. il'-1 < :-=1 ..... )-, II ::::-1 - ---.- ｾ＠ ＱＮｾ＠ ;::::. h ::., :J. ｾＭﾷ＠ ..: .::--, . ｺｾ＠ ........ ,., :::::: .= :'\ :::::) :_) /, - .- 6 of the Fisheries, built on the bed of . a is major river. this report. The site Is a Gomplex .of dry stone walls, wnstructed on a rock har in the bed. . the SC(:)Oncl largest river ·On the continent. · Because the ·rod< outcrop effectively fonm <l gorge in the Barwon, limiting the of the river, the tlow is fast lateral ･ｸｴｾｬ＠ and rapid-like. The t1ow of the Ba1wonDarling is also highly variable,· and the river can rise or fall very quickly. of Initial research showed that although the site is well-known, and on the Register of the National Estate, there had been no attempt at a · detailed site record or . description. The only · specif1c records ｡ｶｩｬ｢ｾ＠ were two surveys, done in 1901 imd 1906, a series of historic photographs . taken about the same time, and a set of low level aerial photographs were taken in 1980. . . Stage 1 The 1991 National Estate Prograimne Grant qf $10,000 was used to fund a· trip · to Brewarrina by a team of heritage ·. specialists in December 1991, and the preparation of a draft Conservation Plan basect on the existing infonnation. The team was chosen to get a cross-section of . experience, ·with the aim of gelting the most benefit out of the .limited funds. It was clear from the start .that the grant would not cover any tuU-scale site recording .exercise. the basis of the historical <inalysis m Jeannette Hope, archaeologist and heritage consultant, Sydney, responsible ·for pu\Jing together the technical conlributioris · and wriling · ·the draft Conservation Plan. Gary Vines, historical archaeologist, Living Museum of the West, Melbourne. Gary used his experience in recording European dry stone walls in Western V ietoria, as a basis for an analysis of the · · construction of the Fisheries. · Anne Bickford, historical archaeologist . and h eritage consultant, Sydney. Anne's \vas based on her contribution . expe1ience with a wide range of · European and Aboriginal 'sites. George Gibbons, NSW Depa1·tment of 11ineral Resources, is a geologists with wide experience of the conservation of stone used in the construction of historic buildings. surveyor, I-htrold .Jackso11, retired . Brewarrina. Harold relocated the datum . poirtts 'tor the 1906; and assessed its reliability. The initial stucl·v. was undertaken between .\ December 1991 and February 1992, with a tour da:y field trip from 13-16 Decernber. No fmther inspection of the Fisheries was possible duri:ng ･＠ of high river levels. · ･ｾ｡ｵｳ｢ 1992, The team included: Peter · pai·gin, · histoi1an : and writer, Dubbo. Peter was (esponsible for overall co-ordination of the first stage of .the . projec:;t, using the. 1991 grant. His 1976 publicatim1 on the history of the Fishe1ies The draft repo1i, completed in March 1992, covered the early records of Aboriginal use of the Fisheries, and the history of its decay; an evaluation of how much of the original stmcture remained, . and how 1t had been built; an assessment ｾ＠ / . 7 FIG 5 Cadastral inap of Brcwarrina, with fish-traps shown from MuUcn 's field survey book (see Fig 10). Courtesy Department of Conservation and "'Land Management. 41 <nU u h -M:>. 0 0 •rl ;..: >.. 0 .... r.l ....0 .0 "' II) ,h, 'V ;. 0 ['$"' t<:lll p k c -'< ;, !.. 0 u "' mu "'.. .1-ot.:·, "'""' u .a ?: ..:<a. <1> Ｒｾ＠ 'riC"' H I'"'I •M M Ill 0 ,(J ll>.-1 I) ;l 0 0 0 _".... ll)Q> 0 ..... r.l lA. lA. 0 h ｾ＠ ｾ ｉ＠ ｾﾷ＠ ;:j Q -C\1 C'"l.::t ｾ＠ "' t"' -M:l. n I< 'Cl ..;p ID ID ｾ＠ ｲｾ＠ 8w ,_ "-! 0 L; ｾ＠ 1-< 1-< 1-. 1-< (4"" " ｾＧ＠ ....s:::.: .-l't:l ｾ＠ § 0 o h """ II)< ｾ ｾ＠ ] ｾ＠0 .... ",:\ !< 5 0 5 0 : c.. s u i .; ....c "3 , I< 1.. u c::" " f,J C\ <I ;:. s 8 (,rJ ": Q "'[;) ｾＺ＠ r: :> c ｾ＠ !.I.: .,,, 81 ::1 ·t ｾ ｜＠ c, ｾ ｾ ｾ＠ 0 ｾ＠ ｾ＠ r: i lI i ﾷ ｾ＠ ·: ·:.:": ,, :,' Ll ·.s Ｎｾ＠ n•' .l- !t u, 1 •1Jf ·,:·2 .; ｾ＠ ! of significance; and a discussion of the .options of restoration and reconstruqtion. However, the second gt'ant of $25,0M was less than .half of what . was applied for. A<; well, it became clear that a fullｳ｣ｾｴｬ･＠ Stage 2 In cmlcr to as:->ess the technical feasibility of restoring oi· reconstructing any of the stone walls, two things were needed - an . up-Io-date plan of the Fisheries in · its cunent state, and information about the practical aspects of restating stone walls. The Co;nservation Plan was · incomplete · without these. Tlu·ough early 1993; a search was mitde for people who could . assist with these aspects: Finally, a second stage team was · set UJ? consisting of: · .Jeannette Hope, who took over the coordination of the project, with · responsibility for organising field ·trips and completing the Conservation Plan. and Keir Royle, · Cliff Ogleby Department of Surveying and Land . InJ:onnation, . University of Melboume. CLi:f:f has been involved in · computer based mapping of archaeological sites in Australia and New Guinea. Nathan Perkins, Naturastone Pty Ltd., ·lv[eJ.boume. Nathan has trained in Great B1itain ·and Europe on the conservation. .. ofh1storic dry stone walls. He is the only lVIaster Craftsman of Dry Stone Walling (British Association of . Dry St'one \Valiers) working in Australia. A site stitvey hild been proposed as the the 1993 National Estate Program .· application, followed by a !.raining . program and test construction, before any restoration could begin. first. s·tep- in detailed · ground survey of the surviving·walls and traps of the .Fisheries, an<.\ other features in the river, "Would be extremely labour intensive and therefore expensive, well beyond the available. i' . ! Ogleby and Royle were contraCted to prepare a map based on the 1980 air photographs, using computer · assisted' teclmiques. In October 1993, they visited . the site (with Hope) to survey selected points to tie the air photographs to the national mapping grid and to conect distortion!<: in the . photographs. · High water levels at this time rneant that the . survey could not be completed, so · the cornotiter i11aps in this rep01t are incornplete. . i .. In December 1993, Perkins visited the site with Hope, to assess the practicalities and logistics of restoring or reconstructing any of the walls. ' The Aboriginal Community The project was an initiative . of the Abotiginal-managed Brewanina ·Aboriginal Culh1ral Museum, which applied for the grants and then contracted the heritage specialists. . During the . project, the membership of the Board of Directors of the Museum change::cl, and Les Darcy, who had initiated the project · and set up the flrst team, left. From the star!, the Museum saw the project as an opportunity to provide \Vork . for Aboriginal people in Brewanina in · the restoration project. By early 1994, no funds have reached .Ab01iginal people. Tlus is because no work can be clone .i 9 . i iI i Photo l. Looking upstream along Fisheries, early this century. Photograph labelled ﾷｾｆｩｳｨ･ｬ＠ Brewanina W.Fall<", source unknown. Note paddleboats in deeper water above the rock bar. · to 1ｾ＠ j '. until:a decision is made about what to do, · · ·and how to do it, · Although the Fisheries was built by Aboriginal people, the skills and knowledge about building ｴｩｾ･＠ dry stone walls has been lost by Aboriginal people. Europeans brought the knowlttdge how the· make dry stone walls to Australia, and built · many walls in Victoria htst century, but they have also lost . the knowledge. Only a handful of people, mainly ｩｮ ｾ＠ Great Britain, still have·· these skills. . ... . of This report gives the information needed to make the decision - the pros and cons of leaving the Fisheries as it is, or hying to restore or reconstruct it. The decision has t.o · be acceptable to the . entii·e Brewarrina Aboriginal community and to ·the govc:;mrncnt. depaitments responsible for .site protection, the NSW Nadonai Parks and Wildlife Service · and . ·the Australian Heritage Comri:tission. · There have not been enough discussions between the heritage consultants and the. Aboriginal corrununity about the project. This is partly because the trips to Brewarrina have been vety short, to save money for the works program. It is alSo partly because· of·· co'rrmJunication problems . between different groups of people in Brewatrina. This ·is a rnatter for the Cultural Museum and the community to sort out. I ·1 ' !. FIG 6 · Abo1iginal tribal areas around Brewan1rw, afte1: Tir1dale 1974, from Dargin 1976 p.32 ll WHAT WE KNOWN ABOUT TI-lE FISHERIES 2.1 Sources of Information There are two sources of infonnation about ｴｨｾ＠ Fisheries: knowledge handed down within !he Aboriginal cotmnunity, and knowledge recorded in writing, maps and photographs by Europeans. Some of the .knowledge . written down by Europeans was obtained direct ·from Aboriginal people . . Many Aboriginal people ate ·now familiar with both the Aboriginal knowledge and the European historical records through the book Aboriginal Fisheries of the . Dlti'lin.g-Banvon Rivers. This was written by · Peter Dargin and first published in 1976 by the Brewanina Historical Society. It brought together · most of the early histotical accounts of ·· I •, ' ' . ;' the Fisheries, <ts well as niany old .- photographs. · 2.2 Aboriginal Knowledge Aboriginal traditional knowledge was passed down by word of rn.outh. Whei1 so many people died last century, much . knowledge was lost. Otie of the white people .to write down some Aboriginal knowledge was Katherine Langloh Parker, who lived at Bangate ·on the Narran River, to ·the northeast of .Brewartina, · between 1879 and the 1890s. In her book The Euahlayi Tribe, published m · 1905, she desctibed the Fisheries: The most celebrated of these stone fish-traps is at Brewarrina on the Barwon. It is said to have been mack by Byamee, the god and culture-hero of these people, and his giantsons. He it was who established the rule that · there should be a camping-ground in c'o nunon for the various tribes wher'e, dming the fishing festival, peace should be strictly kept, all meeting to enjoy the fish, to do their share towards preserving the Fisheries. Each tribe has its particular yards; for another to take fish from these is theft. Each. tribe keeps its yards in repair, re,placing stones removed by floods, and so on. These stony f1sh mazes are fully tvvo hundred yards in length, substantially built; some huge boulders are amongst the stones which form the most intricate labyrinthine fish yards, ｾｶｨｩ｣＠ as traps are em.:inently successful, many thousands ｱ ｦｾｊｵｩｔ｡ｹ＠ cod and other fish being caught in them. (Langloh Parker 1905:109-110) .,'' Aboriginal traditional ·knowledge of the Fisheries . ｷ｡ ｾ Ｎ＠ brought together in Dargin's · b9ok. In Aboriginal traditional and his two . sons · accounts, ｂ｡ｩｲｾ･＠ Booma-ooma-nowi and Ghinda-inda- - ---·-- .. Ｍ ﾷＭ Ｍﾷ ﾷＭ ﾷＭ Ｍ ﾷＭ Ｍ ﾷｾ Ｍ .mui, built the Fisheries during a great drought. Gurrungga, the water-hole at BrewmTi.na, · hal1, · dried up and the Ngemba people faced a nmune. ____ ___ _. . ｾﾷＭ Ｍ Ｍﾷ＠ i. i : . ---------··--··-·-·-·----·-----··---- lJsi.ng the scattered stones and boulders dug up by Baiame they laboured to set them in the pattern ·of a great Hsh net. ·First the boulders, then: higher to a man's thigh with smaller stones, until . a stone mesh stretched down the slope of the wall of Gurrungga and. across the dry water course. Baiame showed how to open the stone traps at either end and to set the ｳｴｯｮｾ＠ securely so that they would always be kept in good repair. That evening, as the fires twinkled, the foil( gathered on the bare banks and held a conoboi·ee io1' Baianie, who a cooiamon ｾｮ､＠ showed .some of the old men hovy to call the rain. For. hours the hard ground mmbled under . the stamping feet, while the fme .dust rose up through the clapping boomerangs) clouding the .camps, before the dancers flung themselves down to sleep around the dinuning campfl.res. .Slowly . the dust clouds drifted higher and higher into the night sky where they ringed Bahloo the . moon, who filled them with For several days the rain poured down., ｾ ･＠ the excited clouding the green water of Gurrungga which rose slowly ｢･ｦｯｴ people, who were then startled by a g.Towing roar ass a foaming wall of brown water rushed into Gunungga, over the rock ｾｶ｡ｬＬ＠ covering Baiame's stone net,· of Ngunnhu, and on clown the dty Callewatta. took ram.... . . . Slowly the creaming t1ood fell, exposing the sharp black pattern of Baiame's net, to show the fins and mottths of thow;ands of fish breal<.ing the surface . o:( the w ater. The watchers, overjoyed at the retum of the fish, rushed into the river and hei·ded the teeming fish tlu·ough the stone meshes, killing them. with their sticks, their short·spears orjust grabbing them with their hands.·-· The older and wiser men followed behind the excited hui1ters and blocked the entry tq the stone traps preventing the escape of any fish back clown the . river to wam others of the trap.... This is the story of how the Rock Fisheries carne to Brewarrina: (D<trgin 1976: 5-7) i . I ·; I ' ·--'------ Aboriginal people in Brewarrina also know much about the mote recent histo1y of the Fisheries, which have continued to be used occasionally by both adults and children to catch fish, or cross the river. This more modern oral history needs to be recorded. Doreen Wright's book King qvde of Brervarrina. is an example of what could be done (Wright 1980). \ .. . .I 13 . . . . Photo 1. Close-up of traps, Set D; D6 in Joregroimd, D5 centre, D3 top left, Tyn-ell Cqllection No. 75/505 or 510. Dargin )976 p. 40. · L i 2.3 Historicnl Records· · This account is based mainly on Dargin's ｾＹＷＶＮ｢ｯｫ＠ . r The tirst . written reference to the · Fisher.ies seems · to be that of W.C.tvlayne, Commissionei· . of Crown L:mds,. at Wellington. tn 184R, he wrote to the Colonial Secretary . in Sydney, . describing . the Fisheries and reconmlencling that a reserve one mile square be rnade for Aborigines at that . part ofriver. Mayne's recommendation was not acted upon; The Atlorney General and Solicitor ·General ｭｨｾｳ･､＠ Governor Fit7J·oy • that "no condition securing to the Aborigines the ｰｲｩ｜ｾｬ･ｧ＠ of free .access to lands reriutining in an unimproved stale could · be legally introduced into the leases of Crown ｌ｡ｮ､ｳＧｾ＠ at that time.In 1859 the paddle-steamer Genu'ni travelled up the Darling as far ｾｳ＠ the Fisheries. The captain, .Tcilm Scott Lmdsay, wrote in the log: ; ! I ｾ＠ . February, 24.th, 1859, 10.20: Came to the Falls and the native fishing place: found there no possibility of getting over, vve went on shore, nailed up a board with W.R.RANDELL, GE:MINI At 0.30 p.m., after giving three cheers and druu.;.ing the success to the . navigation of the Barwon, we put round and carne back, having cut our names. on a tree. 0.40 p.m., stopped at Brewarrina Station. (Darg:in 1.976:54-) Ji"l 1861, W.R. Randell wrote on atticle · about his trip on the Gemini. On the 24th I reached "Nonah, or ·as it is now ｣ｯｮＺｾｭｬｹ＠ called; the "Black's Fishing-grounds," the highest attainable point with the then existing t1oocl. The obstacle presented to the navigation at Nonah is a fitll at low-\vater and the descent being about 8 a 'very swift rapid at the tirne of the Gemini's Ｇｾｳｩｴ［＠ feet in 200 or 300 yards, and the water boiling and foaming over rocks for that distance. It is called the Black;s fishing-grounds- in consequence of their having (assisted by natural ｊＺｾＱ｣ｩｬｴ･ｳＩ＠ built a ·great number of circular walls of stoi1e in the bed of the river, extending from below the Falls to a distance ofhal£ a mile above . . ｾ＠ . 15 The blacks assemble .here· in great numbers duling the time of low-water; the neighbourir{g tribes suspending hostilities. for the time being; · and ascending the river for some considerable distance, they come down in it, making a peculiar noise, and driving multitl}des offish before ·them into the cells - where they are stupefied by the ineshes, and easily speared by the blacks stationed .there for that purpose. · I believe that a passage rnay be very Cl\Sily made through these rocks, so that. steamers could ascend the rapicLs with the assistance of warps m seasons of moderate t1oocl, when . another 100' miles -would be open to · navigation. (Randel1186L145-46). .I . Tracing. takei1 from old river chari ac Murray Bridge Folk Museum, S.Aus., by courtesy of Thora and Don Dix, and Rosalie Koch , Joint Proprietors cind Founders. (Chart later u:red by the late Captain Bob Smith, of Murray Bridge, a . valued friend of the Dix Family. ｾ＠ • i I I I ! · Ｍｾ ｾ＠ Ｍ . . , . . . ｾ＠ :s::__ ;;:\i· _. ..} FIG 7 River captain's chart of Brewanina Fisheries, from Dargin 1976 p. 46. \6 . " . At the ｴｩｭ･ ｾ＠ of the Gemini's voyage, aH the river frontages had .been divided into squatting runs. For 280 ·miles below Brewarrina, only Spence's station at Fort Bourke was occupied, but upstream fi·om the Fisheries the counhy was completely occupied, with ,stations occurring on both sides of the river every 5 oi' 6 miles, heavily stocked with cattle. of the . Darling, was · proclaimed in 18 63. sui-veyed and i.. Following the Gemini's first voyage, Mr Thomas Dangar requested the survey of towns at Fort ·.Bourke and at the Fisheries. Afte1' repeated. reque$ts, the town of Brewarrina, which was considered to be the head of navigation .A ·crossing . to provide access for settl6rs establishing stations to the .north was mack qcross the rock bar by using the . stone from the fish traps to till the holes. Larger boulders . were rolled aside to m<1ke a ford suitable for bullock · drays. The :trea became a. common watering ancl, .campi11g place .for drovers, and this Ｚｴｰｲｯｩｾｬｮ＠ caw;ecl anger among Aborigines, leading to conflict at the crossmg. . ;; · William Kenigan, reputed to be the first . white child born in Brewanina, recorded: l'v1y father and his two brothers, ·Bob and Andrew, came to Brewarrina when the wild blacks were bad, my father had someone with him when he used to cart W(iter irom the rocky crossing, each one used to take a turn about with the Jifle in case a wild black showed his head in the s.c mb on the · bank. (Dargin 1976:58) ｾＭ The . passage of · s'teamers and barges · increased the disturbance to the Fisheries, as stones were removed to free vessels caught at low water. B1:ewarrina grew with the river . trade . and pastoral for the settternent; a pontoon· ｾＩｲｩ､ｧ･Ｌ＠ . movement of sheep, and a punt, for the ferrying of light vehicles, were ·sited below 1lle Fisheries. By· 1878, about 300 Aborigines lived at · the Fisheries and were c.ontinuaUy about town, scantily dressed in cast off clothing, begging mid seeking alcohoL With the ap1)Qintment of Sergeant Steele iiJ. 1878 they were instructed to move to tile · Ｍ Ｍｾ Ｍ Ｍｾ＠ opposite bank .and only ｜ｾｳｩｴ＠ the town during the day. The sergeant enforced his curfew dail)• at 6pm with a hOrsewhip. · ' ! V.lhen the first Protector of Aborigines .called for a censqs iri 1882, there were in Brewprrina 151 Aborigines and 24 half castes. In 1885j a reserve was gazetted on the north bank of the Batwon adjacent. to the Fisheries, and in .the following year a . mission was set up on 5000 acres 10 km \Vest ofthe town. In 18 8 8, when the lifting span bridge across the Batwon was opened, ｴｨ･Ｎｾ＠ Sydney Mail reported: 'i . ' 11 .----'----·---· -'----- ·o ne . of the most interesting scenes on ihe usually sluggish waters of the Darling River undoubtedly lhe Fisheries, situated close to the towri of ｂｲ･ｷ｡ｩｮｾ＠ .. This roughly-formed trap is a very etTedive one, wherefi:om. the t)lacks can haul out 'budgery' fi:'>h, so long as the -fresh does not rise to f>uch an extent as to allow the tinny tribes an opportunity of escaping. The Fisheries were constructed long before the advent of the wrute man in the district, and the blacks have it ori legend that the roughly-formed trap was devised by one of their former _great chiefs or kings in order to prevent a supposed famine. It is ·considered to be some hundreds of years old, The blacks still adhere to their old habit of frequenting the ·Fisheries at proper seasons, when they rejoice in high living, coupled with cmroborees; so long ·a:s supply lasts, indeed there is enough and to spare. (Sydney. Mail 1885, Dargin 1976:61). · is In 1901 a visiting reporter wrote: .( \ I . i i Up until about 1899 a great ｩｮｴ･ｲｾｳ＠ was taken by the Aborigines in 'The · Fisheries', but each succeeding year they are becoming more like 'white fellars', which means they iind it more laborious to keep 'The Fisheries' in good repair, and stones which are displaced by big 'runs' are oft times left unheeded where they lie. (Dargin 1976:62) tune only about 41 Aborigines stillli\red atBrewarrina. For short periods in the year small numbers of Morowari and Ngemb<l; people· camped . at the Fisheries but in 1915, Steve Shavlr, ,T nath'e of. Cobar, · was the only one working any of the remaining taps. He blocked the entrance with an ·iron wheel · covered with wire and waded through the trap disturbing any fish with a length of wire, driving them into the. shallow \Vater in the nan·ow end where he caught them in his small hand net fashioned from wire netting . . B)r this . \ interest. A visitor to Brewarrina, ·Abbott, wrote in 1881: 2.4 Studies of the Fisheries The decline in use of ·the Fish erie:-; coincided with ｩｮ｣ｲ｡ｾ､＠ European ____ _______________,___,. _, ________ ___... .......----·-"·' ....___ , ,, , ,,. ___ , _ , __ - - ..... _____ ,_ , w.: E. ' ' I __"' ·- - - , The lishery represents <l ｣ｯｮｳｩ､ｾ｢ｬ･＠ am6unt of combined labour, and as it is one of the few public works, if not the only obne ever constructed by the aboriginals it would be most interesting to know what were the regulations enforced'by thetri.be for its maintenance in good repair, and for· the division of the ±lsh obtained, and also whether outside tribes were allowed to· share · in the proceeds; ·ancl if so, upon what terrns. (Abbott 1&81) In 1903 R.H. Mathews published the only existiitg detailed account of the way the Fisheries were consttucted and used. A shorter ver.sion of this was published in 1907. These articles included a plan of the Fisheries, in Mathews own words . "prepared by me _from a detail survey which I made in 1901." Mathews was a · surveyor who took a deep interest in Aboriginal life and customs. It is lil<ely · that he obtained some of his information from Aboriginal people at BreWmTi.na, · but he does not give their narnes. · Mathews gave an Aboli.girial name to the Fisheries . on the plan he drew NGUNNHU another version of the name Nonah recorded · by Randall. N1athews went further: w Each ､ｩＬｾｳｯｮ＠ of the tribe, and the families compqsi.ng it, had their own allotted portion of the fishing grounds, and every pen or trap had a name by which it was known and spoken of among the ｰ ･ ｯｾＩｬ ･Ｎ＠ i l l\llathews gives "a few" of these names, but unfortunately does not say which name related to which trap. The names are : · MIRRA'GAN·' GU'NA, THAUIA, IL'PRUNYA, . BUODI:-LL\.UtlNGA, GIWIRRI, NGIDDERI, GUMBOAR'O, MU'ARBA, THULUH.'DIGANA, BURUGUMAN, BtJRUGUNGAL, Dl-IAU'DANBAIA, . MOGEL, GOARA, WIRRII)UNG-KUl'tYA, \VAGURMA, BAU'.L\NDAl\l"NA . He also recorded names for the .maJor rocks on each side of the river. From'east . · to west on the south bank, these na1i1es of these . are MtJAR, WIRRINGA, DHERRAGINNI (King Rock), . and KULLUR (Queen Rock) . , I ｾ＠ . 19 On ·the north banlc, KIRRAGURRA i') on the bank . on the east, while MUNNHAGIUR is in the river on the west. Mathews recorded that: Finally, Mathews recorded that the deeper part of the river bed was called .WIRRUWIRRUMBA. In 1906, A.W.Mullei1s, a surveyor with the Western Lands Board, · suryeyed the · Fisheries. His field book contains his original survey and sketch pian and a page of descdption, in which ·he gives the names of several Aboriginal people who were associated with the Fisheries at that tim: e. Around the san-le ti.ille a nuinber of photographs of the Fisheries were made, the most important of whicit are in the Tynell Collection held by the Museum of . Applied Arts and Sciences, Sydney. · Non-Aboriginal interest in the Fisheries declined after · this, attcl · no · written accounts of the Fisheries seem to have heen produced ovei· the following 70 years. weu· The construction of the Brewa1Tina in the late 1960s further disturbed the Fisheries, but ｣ｯｩｮ､ｾｬ＠ with renewed interest. In 197 6 Peter Dargin produced -an important book . that brought Jogether all the existing historical infomiation and included most of the . 1mown historic . photographs. ａｾ＠ about the ｾ｡ｭ･＠ time, in the early · 1970s, the idea of restoring the Fisheries was raised, and Brewanma Council obtained a grant from the Directorate of Aboriginal Welfare to employ 'local Aborigines on the project (Dargin 1976). It ' has · not been possible to find out . ·exactly what was done, but some walls existing il1 the rivet today · are very · different from the historical plans and photos and these may have been . built in .the 1970s. Because of its uniqueness, the Fisheries has been mentioned .m vari.qus articles · and · general books over the years ( eg Dutm's Ariglirtg in Australia . its History · and Writings, 199'1), but such mentions or merely quote the basic historic ｭ｡ｴ･ｲｩｾｬ＠ more recently, Dargit1's book. .The site is recorded in the Aboriginal Site Register held by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife, and is mcluded in the Reg}ster of the . ·. National .Estate established by the Austl;alian Heritage · Commission, Canberra. These records are also based on the ｰｲ･ｾｸｩｳｴｮｧ＠ historic records. No full site recording, modern survey map, archaeological study or oral history recording has ever been made. Finally in the late ·1980s an Aboriginal initiative led to the development of the Brewarrina Aboriginai Cultural 1\!Iuseum, which focused ori '·the Fisheries. The cmTent restor<1tion proposal for the Fisheries is part of this project. 3.NATURE 011 THE FISHERIES . ,i 3.1 Records of the Fisheries Before considering what should be clone wilh th e Fisheries, we need to look al what infomiation there is about how the walls and traps were originally buil.t, and what still survives. This in:fo1mation comes from several sources: h. Field obsetvations made in 1991-1993 during this study. a.· Written clesctiptions by Mathews and 1\.1uUen, b. -,. I-Ilstmic plans by Mathews and .l'v1ullen, c. I-listoric photographs, d. Modern photographs taken :in 1971 by Peter Dm·gin, and in 1991 by Jemmette Although there · are many references to, the Fisheries in historical publications, few give . any detail ab6ut the actual physical fonn of the structutes. The earliest is Randell's in 1869: "a great number of circular walls 'o f stone in the . bed of the river, . extending from below the F::11ls to a distance of half a mile . abo\ie". Hope, . ·e: Aetial photogra_()hs taken in 1980, f. Modern surveys carried out during this study, by Harold Jackson in· J991 and by Cliff Ogleby and Keir Royle in ·1993, g. National Parks Wildlife Service site records, and a. Written descriptions How they 1vere built .l The most valuable if Mathews' detailed description published in 1903, .aild . . . . republished more briefly in 1907. The full text will be found in Appendi,'{ 1. I will now endeavour to describe the fisl1-t1'aps and their construction. The river t1oor at this point consists of imrp.ense !lumbers of loose stones, ranging from twenty pounds to a hunch'eclweight, with others of greater- ctimensions. The aboriginal builders collected large quantities of these ·stones and erected walls, in the way many of our farmers about Kiama used to build_stone dykes or fences around · their fanns. These walls were erected ixi. a substantial maruter, being wider at the base, where also the wider stones were used, and tapering upward toward the top. The stones were merely laid in position, without mortar or dressing of any kind, fonning a structure sufficiently strong to resistthe force of the CUtTent. Die large stones used in the foundation or base of the wall were rolled into position, while the smaller ones were canied by the builders, · Areas were enclosed in this manner, varying .in dimensions from that of a smail pond clown to the size of a plunge bath, the walls of one ･ｮ｣ｬｯｳｵｲｾ＠ being common to those around it, fanning a labyrinth of ｩｮ･ｸｴｲ｣ｾ｢ｬ＠ ｷｩｮ､ｧｾＮ＠ These enclosures . were continued right across the channel from bank to bank, and occupied all the l· 21 ----·· -- - - - - - - · - - ··-·- - - - - -·---'-- suitable portiOtlS of the riVer-floor for about a quarter .of <l ｴｲｾｩｬ･＠ aJ.ong its course. Some of the pens or t.r:tps were long <md naJTOW, others nearly circular, whilsl' . ｯｴｨ･ｲｾ＠ were inegular in shape, according to the fmmulion of the bed of lhe liver ｾｩｮ､＠ the facilities for obtaining the heavy building material close at hand. The level of the water. was observed while the river was mrming, and owing_to the unavoidable inegularities of he bed, the walls of some of the pens were buill higher than others. Again; when the water was lciw, or during a small freshet, only a · portion of the channel and the pens contained in it, could be utilized for fishing operations, whilst certain pens on higher ground could not be used at all, owing to i..ttsufficiency of water. The average height of the walls varied from two to three feet. They were about eighteen inches · wide ·at the . base, and .· the top was surmounted by a singk:course ofstones. ｈｾｷ＠ they were used Thei·e are several written descriptions of the way Abotiginal people · used the . Fishe1y. Mathews .and Mullen again provide the most detailedinfonnation. The earliest desctiption of use is dated 11th April 1859, when the newspaper South Australian Register printed the following. The "cells" refetTed to are the trars. : When the river is low · the several tribes suspend their hostilities, and assembling at a potnt about eight miles above the Falls, they come down the stream in a body, causing a great commotion in the water, and making ve1y loud !lnd peculiar noises, which have the effect of driving fish towards the · cellular contriv(tnces, where they are speared i.n some of the numerous cells by a succession of dextei·ous assailc;mts. Drayloads of fish are thus taken, and a season of festivity or gluttony supervenes, Mathe\vs' description of the vvay the Fishery was built continued with an account of hmv it worked:· ﾷ ｾ＠ .. During the eariy spring nionths of the year, or at any time when there was a fresh in the river, the fish travelled up stream in irrunense numbers. The stone pens or traps had their open ends toward<> the. direction from which . the fish approached. . \ i I 22 ------·---·- ----------··---------··- The Aboriginal ilshers, men and women, were on the look out, and as soon as a sutlicient number ·of the fumy tribe had entered the labyrinth of traps, the openings were closed up by mcanll of large slones which had bl;)en · placed alongside reitdy for use. If the opeiting . was too wide to be thus ｨｬｭｾｫ･､＠ up hy stones, a number of native::; posted thernsdves acra.sr:; it to prcvenl the egress of the !ish. The natives next' entered the pens and splashed water with their hands or . feet, thus frightening the fish into the smaller enclosures, where they might be more easily ｣｡ｵｧｨｴｾ＠ Any unusually large fish which might be in the 'haul', were lulled as speedily as possible, because they at once corrunenced swallowing the smaller ones collected in: the pens. These 'big-fellow fish' were generally speared by the young men, as they first enter the enclosures, · .,. , before they had tl.n-ie do any damage. · · ,.. . ( . ( i lo . It appears from the foregoing description that the fish, in coming up the river, were intercepted by the outliers or 'wings' of this maze, which stretched from bank to bank; they entered the large enclosures, from which they were chased into smaller and smaller pens, much in the same way that sheep are driven into catching i)ens ·at shearing time, or cattle into 'killing ·yards". In driving the :tlsh through the different, some were killed .by spear or club as oppo1tunity offered, going along, but on anival at he smallest pens all he fish vvere caught and killed. The larger fish were speared, or killed by a club, .b ut the smaller oneswere caught by hand, the fishemwn passing his finger through the gills and inserting a cord; on which he can"ied as many fish as could be dealt with in this marmer. . . . . Iviy old native i1.1form<mts told me that none vvere left in the yards, because if they got away they would wam all their fellow-fish not to go into such. a trap in the future. One old man stated that the same rule was followed in netting emus when he was a boy. Great care was taken to prevent tl1e escape of an emu from the net, lest he tell other birds about the ingenuity of their enemies. To enable the fishing operations to be proceeded with, it was necessary that the walls of the pens should be a little way out of the water, because when the ilood rose above the tops of the traps, the fish could easily switn o,>er them. But when the pens in the lovyet' portions of the river Hoor were . submerged,. tf).cise situated on a higher level, refeiTecl to m )m earlier· t)aragraph, could be availed of. .\ I ' 1 .' 23 . ./ t i .\ i . ·, l: "! I . ! Photo 3 · Aboriginal Fisheries, Darling River, N.S.W. 1387. H. King. Syd.'' Probably Set .. D, D6 in. :foreground, DS belund. Dargin 1976 p. 35. · · I 1. • \Vhen the river was falling these conditioris wei·e reversed- Vi'hen the higher yards ｢ｾ｣｡ｭ･＠ dry, the 10\ver ones ·were resorted t:O. In vcty uneven portions of the river bed there were ｳ･ｶｲｾｬ＠ grades, to rneet the exigencies of the rise and fall of the river. The water of the Darling .is never clear, but always of a greyish hue, owing to' the light-coloured clays along its. banks. This gave it the name, among poets and · novelists, of 'The old grey river!' During long periods of dry weather, howeverl a good deal of the clayey matter held in solution sin.ks to the bottom and the stagnant vvater becomes somewhat clearer. In times of flood the \Vater is muddy and of slightly reddish shade, due to the stonn water draining in 11-om surface soils of that colour. Ovving to tins sudden change in the character of the liquid, ' the fish often nee before lhe . ad'\1ancing turbid stream) wluch appears to nauseate them. When such a fish-laden current reached the Ngunnhu at Brewani11a, the Abo1igines had the 'up-stream' ends of their ｴｮｾｰｳ＠ ready for action. ' '. 24 Photo 4 Looking upstream along Fisheties, Dnerrangiru·u (Queen Rock) in foregTound. Trap C7 on left, C6 ｣･ｮｴｾﾷＬ＠ B 8/9 on right Tyrrel1 Collection 75/509, Dargin 1976 p. 42. 25 . . . ,,,,!,!}}, ﾷ ﾷＭｾ＿Ｚ＠ .•ｲｾ［ＺＭＫｩＡ＠ . •' t' '( . Photo 5 Looking upstrearn, 1971, from same position as Photo 3. Darg;in 1976 p. 43. Photograph Greg Jackson. Photo 6 Lookir1g upstream, December 1991, from sarne position as Photos 3: and 4. · Photograph Jeann ette Hope. 26 . The following aecount is from surveyor Ｎ＠ not Mullen's field . notebook, .and ､ｯｾｳ seem to have been published before. The original is · handwritten, and contlnuous 1 but pan.lgraJ)h breaks have been added below f(>r ease of reading, and names highlighted. Rc Fishcty al Brewanina Saw .Joe Colless ＼ｾ＠ h<tlf cast Joe CoUess says he has been in the District many-years & ｾ｡ｳ＠ ot1en caugb.t fish in the Brewarrina. Fishery - He says tl.sh are caught ascending an.d descending the stream & that the entrances ·to traps ｾｲ･＠ opened & closed by the blacks according to the way the ·fish are travelling. He says undoubtedly the Fishery were built by the aborigines & that there is· a ｷｯＱｾ｡ｮ＠ at present at the ｍｩｳｾｯｮ＠ station callecl ;Murray Nelly Taylor whose husband (riow dead) for years ·back helped to keep these Fishery iiJ repair & told the yoynger members of the tribe that the aborigines built the Fishery ｾ＠ This woman is now about 70 years of age and her husband was much older than she was . . or The aborigines all believe .that these traps' wei·e originally built by the aborigines without help from white men. There are no other Fishe1y in the Darfuig that J Colless knows of but Mr ''' Dickson tells me there are the . remarns . of old Fishery on the rocks .near Collywan)' - when I was at Dunlop lately I crossed the Darling on rocks 2 miles above the town & was told by a man W Iviathe1vs who has beeri about Louth for almost 40 years & who \Vas with me at the time that the aborigines had Fishery on .the rocks & pointed out to ine some stones \Vhere the Fishery once existed. Colless.says cod are the principal fish caught but other iish are also caught. Fish are cauglitwhen water just n.uming over stones . .The ll.sh go tlu·ough an opening made by the aborigines by removing one stone. The fisher(man is on) the watch as so(m as a fish enters trap he creeps along the outside of the trap, .replaces stone jumps into trap & chases ±lsh into the shallow yards where he kills them with a stick - Some of tl1e cod rush out of watet ·onto . the dry sand in the yards ｾ＠ the blacks are jealous of their rights & will allow no white men to Jish the police also prevented whites from fishing ｾ＠ jus! as many fish caught going up as coming down - The blacks build some yards higher than others & fish caught (or kept there I think more lil<ely) there after the others covered. · A.W.Mullen Surveyor Brewanina 8th September 1906 . j t I . . 27 Sumtntll:Ji ofuse Se-veral importan( p()ints can he made from these three accounts. l. "Fish were caught going both upstrcani and downstrc<im. · Mathews account shows that this depended on the river conditions, with fish usually. going upstream against the fresh, . but occasionally · swirrirrring downstream in large ｮｵｭ｢･ｴｾｳ＠ in front of a t1ood peak. suggests that . as The earliest . ｡ｾ｣ｯｵｮｴ＠ Abotiginal people may have encouraglCt downstream movement of fish by making a lot of noise. and splashing the water upstream from the Fishery. 5. B<>th men and women participated m the fishing, with one t<tsk, spcadng the larger fish specific;ally mentioned as the . responsibility of young men. 6. Fish were caught in the . traps by spearing or clubbirtg, or were cattght by hand. There is no mention of the use' of woven traps or nets being used to catch fish within the trap system. In this respect .the Brewan-it1a Fishety differs from the western Victorian eel fishery, where woven 'eel b;;!skets' may have beeri used. to catch the eels that had moved into th<:! . stone canals and races. .\ .i i I b. Historic Plans 2. Mullen's .survey of 1906 shows the gates . or openings on the traps all on the downstream side. At this titue the tiver had been low for some years because of chought conditions. It may be that fish were ·generally movit1g .upstream at that time, but it is Wzely that the Fishery were no longer being used . regularly or -maintained. Both Mathews and Mullen surveyed the Fishery and produced maps of it. Their ｰｬ｡ｮｲｾ＠ show a distmctive pattern to . the stone stmctures .: several sets of traps extending across the river from bank to bank. Most individual traps are linked to other traps or to the river bank · by connecting walls. Some traps lie .close together and share a common . wall.· 3. -. Traps were intentionally built on several levels to extend the length of tune the system would operate. This was etiective v,rith both rising and falling ':Vater levels. 4. All kinds of fish could be caught by the traps; and when fully opcratmg, all . fish trapped were caught and Temoved. · Mathews' plan shows three sets of traps across the river, but Mullen's more detailed plan shows four. . Mathews (1903) said that when he visited Brewanina in 1901, the river had ceased to nm, leavmg the Fishe1y quite dty. He "took advantage of this opportunity to make an accurate survey, '\.Vith chain and coni.pass, of the principal fish-pens still in . existence". His published map is small · '! ' 28 FIG 8 R.I-L Mathews' plan of the Fisheries, surveyed 1901, published in Joumal of the Royal.Society ofNSW, 1903, page 49 i ' I }: . .... .. t:l !<. <> .... ttl . ｾ＠ ..,. .... C4 ""c: ..... ..... .. :::: .... 0 \J ."\:l 0 .c: ｾ＠ ｾ＠ ＠ｾ <-.." ｾ＠ tl .;: .... 0.. .:.. f-< ..c: . .!! ｾｯＮ ｾ＠ ﾷ＠ ｾ＠ . > :<:: .... 0 :::> ..c:! C1 c <:: :z: "" ｾ＠ ..c:! 0 .. . C: 0.. 0 29 Photo 7 "The.Brewan1na Fish Traps", looking across Set D; foregrouncU1·om left to right, pi·obably D2, D3, D5.and D6; top centre DL Photograph source unknown. · I. 1, .' I \ ·. !· I ' j ! ... ｾ＠ l' ﾥｾ ﾷ＠ '< ' • \ l I I j. I \· I .. \ ,I 'i i It,, .... I . . ＮＬｾ /' I ... ' Ｎ＠ Ｚｾ＠ y,\ . \ ｾＺＨｬ ·' '" "' ﾷ ｴ｟Ｌ＠ • l •>· ( ! \ -.;'1 \ .. ; •. I ... .....,.,. . ...t...... \ 30 i l FJG·9a R.H. Mathews' original plan; assumed to be from his field notebook (page 49). copy from Les Dargin, Brewarrina, location of original ui10ertain. Plan is titled: "June 22, 23, 1902 Survey of The Native Fisheries in the Darling River at · Brewanina'1• . ·nus / ｾ ｻＢＰ＠ .. . ·'' :. I ... • ' / / ｾﾷ＠Ｍ ｾ＠ . ··.· . / t'\ '-' .· ·:). . 31 ' '· FIG 9b IU-I. ·Mathews' oriiii.nal plan, assumed to be fiorn his field notebook (page 50). This _copyfrom Les Dargin, Brewarrina·, location of original uncertain . . ｾ ＨＧｵＮｾ＠ •• • •• •• , ,rv ···} ' ..: {_' pU \, ..... . :· . :- . ｾｦＧ＠ . .. f Jl ｾＭ •: ... ,' \ ...··:. . . ; .' ; . ｾ＠ ! •.• . . .. ..... .ｾ ｜Ｍﾷ＠ . . ,· .. ,,i • ' I ... ﾷ ｾﾷ＠ . ＼Ｚ＿ＭＮＧｾＬ＠ ｾ＠ /f.;_ .• '• y ····.. .' . j · ·.·. .· ＼ｾ ﾷＺｾｽｴＮ｜ＭｯｶＬ＠ .· .'.:\ ..l./ ﾷ ＼ＮＭ｡ f. ﾷ ｵ ﾷ Ｌ ｜Ｎ ｟ Ｏ｜ＮＺｾ •.' ·. .. ·. . . ':' ...:::../ ' Ｍ ｾ［Ｎ＠ ·.·.(._,.;._ Ｍｾ Ｑ＠ I ·.·;- . ,.... • ........ , .:-i... . :.. ... . Lni. ;,. • \., ·. Ｍ ｾ ｾ＠ ｜ ﾷＮｾＭ Ｍ Ｍ Ｌ＠ . . .,·C.\.Wv .r .. , ﾷ Ｎ ﾷ ﾷｾ＠ . .' ..:! ). ·/ f.r;, f.., .....Jlt.. :. 0 Ｈｾ＠ ' ' \'} . \ s J I . ... . ＦｕＨｾ＠ ' , " .\ . \ ' /--'.'\ ·. \ I , ":. ' ' .. " I - / I .Ｍ '.'1\ ·1 • •• ｾ ﾷ＠ / :/ · Ｚﾷ｣ ＮＢﾷ ｾｌ Ｌ Ｎ ｯ＠ ..._,) 32 Photo 8 View across river il·om south bank. Walls in foreground probably belong to Bl2 :mel B 13. The cross in the tree on the far bank shows the flood le\lel. Tyri·ell . ColleGlion 75i512, Dargin 1976 p.4l. · . I 33 .·Photo 9 View across rive1: in December 1991 fi·om same position as Photo 7. Photos can he matched using the pointed rock in the centre of each. Note same three trees ori far right of each photograph. By 1991 the forest1ore had silted up nnd was covered · with dense reeds making ｰｨｯｬｧｲｾｴｹ＠ ､ｩｦｾｵｬｴＮ＠ Photograph Jeannette Hope. ' 34 and quite schematic . (Figure 8)> and his .otiginal survey notes have not been · located. It is possible that they may be among Mathews papers, now held by the ｎ｡ｴｩｯｮｾＱｬ＠ Library of Australia, C.mben·a (National Library of Australia 1993). There are two versions of ·Mullen's survey in existence, the one in .his Held not'e book, and a cleaned-up version produced by the Department of Lands been available drawing otiice . Both ｨ｡ｶｴｾ＠ for this st;udy. ·' A third survey was carried out by Harold Jackson ·in December 1991, ·as ·part of • ｴｨｾｳ＠ study. This aimed at locatirtg Mullen's smvey points, ari.d verilyi.ng his survey. Because of the limited time, it was not possible to map individual stone structures. c. Historic Photographs Another· source .o f information about the physical structure of the Fishery is a series · of historic photographs taken. around the tum. of the century. A list of these is included in Appendix 3. There are three main sources of old i)hotographs of the Brewarrina. Fisheries: Tyrrell Collection, I'v11tchell Library .· and Heruy King, There are also several miscellaneous photographs with rto known source. • J • • . lime the collection passed to Consolidated Press and then to the M.A.A.S. The Tyrrell Collection photos ｦｾｬ＠ into three .categories: attributed to the photographer Kerry, attributed to Henry King, and unattributed. Unforl.unatdy, the pictureH of the Brewani.na Fisheries are unattributed, Bill TytTell suggested . that Keny himself had taken the photos while on .a trip photographing artesian wells. The ｰｨｯｴｧｩ ｾ ｡ｰｨｳ＠ were ·taken after the Fisheries had fallen into disuse and after . disturbance or removal of.some rocks by Europeans. While those ill the Kerry Collection are of good quality, they are not · of great value .in determining the structure of the walls. ' i . i ; ! . ... ｾ＠ Not one-photo which clearly shovvs a waU from top to bottom· includes any kind of · illustrative figure to scale .. the true dimension. Photo 3 shows a m.atl, but only the top of the walls can be seen, not . he construction. In Photo 14, the figures are too far in the :foreground to be use.ful. The ciates are unlmown for most of tll.e photographs, · but it is reasonable to conclude that most were taken around the same .time as the surveys, daring · the drought of the 1890s- early 1900's when the 1iver was very low. d. Modern Photographs The inost important set of photos are in . ..•. the TyrTell Collection, now held by the Museum of Applied Atis and Sciences (M.AA.S.}, Sydney. The p1ir1ts used for the reproductions in this report were purchased by Peter Dargin for use in his 1976 publication from Tytrell's Bool<shop, the then owner. Si11ce that ·. l Peter Dargin published in his book a set , of photographs taken by Greg Jackson in 1971, some from the same vantage points as the older ones. i In December 1991, we tried to locate the points from which the photographs had been taken. This proved surprisingly ·' 35 ; and Jones 1983). However, water level. · was ｬｯｷｾ＠ and the pattern of the surviving . walls and traps can be clearly seen. easy, smce the very htrge rocks in ··the river provided good orientation points. the feahtre:> that . made relocation possible were the trees on the H<>wcver, bank. 1991 \Ve · took a ne\v set of photographs, slides, colour prints · and · black. and white prints from the same as the . histotic vantage. points photographs. These have some value; but are not good enough to use as a basis for deta.iled analysis, or as a basis for monitoring future chai1ges in the Fisheries. · Figures 18 and 19 show the location of the points from which the historic and modem photographs were · taken. · Several comparative sets of photographs take1i. at different times are · included in this report. In e. Aerial photographs ·.. In November 1980, Graham Connah and Alan Jones of the University of Ne\v Englahd took low level aerial photographs of the Brewanina Fisheries as pmt of a project on aerial photography · of ·Australian archaeological . sites. They published a ···· "vertical mosaic" of the Fisheries, which excluded both ends of the system, as well as the weir (Connah ' Colour and infra-red .aerial photographs· . were taken in December 1991 as part of this study, but because of the height of :the plane and the degree of sun-sheen on the water, these have not been as useful .· as expected. bartlc Many CXlslmg .trees c(mld be matched witli those shown on· the photographs, taken .at least 80 years earlier. Not ali trees in the. photographs still ·exist, but there are virtually no younger ones. Thls . is a worry for the .future stability of the n01ih banl<, since the trees there must be at ｬ･｡ｾｴ＠ 100 years old, .. and must be nearing' the end of their li:i:-e-span. All of the photos seem to have been take.n from the high bank on the south, or town side of the river, and . most show the north . f. Modern plans . Jackson's 1991 survey · In December 1991, Harold Jackson · relocated some of the datum points used by Mullen, and provided a resurvey of the major features of · the system, the banl<s, major rocks. The aim was to evaluate the accuracy .and use:fulness of ·Mullen's survey as · a basis for any restoration work. It became clear that .there were significant · distortions in Mullen's plan, clue to the fact that he . apparently drew in the details of the walls and traps by eye. Mathews' survey data was not available at the tirne for comparL<wn, be}rond the small sketch _published in the 1903 and 1907 miicles. Ogleby's 1993 survey A new survey was seen · as an essential step before any conservation work on the Fisheries could begin. The Fisheries pose prol)lems for sui-veying as it basically wnsists of piles of rubble - the remains of collapsed walls - sunoundecl .by a scatter of loose· rocks dislodged- from the waJJs. · The river ·level · , fluctuates, sometimes covering the . l:()ck vvalls completely, but rarely falling completely. · These system is large, about 400m long by 100-200m wide. \I ,. I FIG 1Oa Mullen's original 1906 field book sketch, pages 23 and 24 .. Courtesy Department of Conservation and Land Ivianageinent. Large version in map -pocket. '.-J C\ ) . -----···-·· --·- ·' . .. :,. .-: .. , __ · ..• ... ·37 FIG lOb Mullen's originall906 field book sketch, p 58; giving c(mecti<)n to page 23,CoUiiesy Department of.Conserva.tion.and Lane\ Management: .I ,·.· '. J"J 1 I..;). 'l .r>' ﾷｾ Ｍｶ［＼＠ ' ＱＭｶ［Ｌｬｾ＠ ＢＧｾＩ＠ t ' ｾＯ＠ .] . : •· ·• I • ' ｾ＠ ·, ·' ':1 •, ' '. J ' ClitT Og1eby . of the ' Department of .Surveying and Land · In:fonnation, Melboume University, assisted by Keir Royle, undertook a survey of the .Fisheries using the method of. EDM tacheometry (electronic measurement and recording and computer mapping). · The details of the survey and the maps so far produced are given in Appendix 3. This survey is incomplete because· of the high levi! of the water during the field trip iri. October 1993. Only the rocks that . emergecj. ·above water could be mapped. For a complete map of the system as it is now; further field work is needed at a is low. time when the ｲｾｶ･＠ 'I:he survey data did allow the 1980s air photographs to be transformed into photographs that are tme to scale and undisto1ied, These rectified photographs are included in this report. However, it mnst be remembered that they record the Fishery as it was r1early 15 years ago, not as it is today. g. NP\:YS Site Records Tlte . Fisheries are site 8/6/1 in the · Aboriginal Site Register held by the NS\V National Parks and Wildlife Se1vice. There are three site records, the flrst an early 1970s ·card based on literature references. This includes a quote from a Mr N. L.Hertslet, in June letter ﾱｾｯｭ＠ 1964. ''The biggest public works of the Aust. Stone Age wasa mile of fish yards in the river. Tht':Y. \>V;re . ali sizes from 10 sq. yds to 100 ·sq.· ·ycis but they were all of rounded and ·had . races ｢･ｴ｜ｾｮ＠ most. Above the "Fisheries" is the Baiwoh, helow it is called the Darling. I respectfuUy suggest that you make immediate · contact with M.r Tom Turnbull, an old timer who lives on the bank of the river at Brewarrina and ·tty and get a model buitt of these yards . .I can supply n1any details ...Pictures are scarce· or the. "Rocks" as they were calk d." In 1. 977 the site .was recorded by · Ray KeUy and Teny Donovan, NSW NPWS, as part of the · survey of Sites of Signiiicance The report includes a seCtion on traditional fish trapping methods using woven or wooden ii.sh traps. However, there are · no new details give.n about the . Brewarrina Fishery. To quote the report: "The only way I can · describe. the Brewarrina Fish. Traps is to give an ac.count of .them which is ｢｡ｳｩ｣ｾＱｬｹ＠ the saine a.s Aldo Ma.ssola's and that is ｴｨ･ｾＧ＠ were set out in a mass of rock channels which tapered off towards . the ｲ｡ｰｩ､ｳｾ＠ These channels were built of rocks approximately 40 to 50 cen·timetres high. These charmels would span all . the way across he rapids. The . ·chmmels were fanned " V shape at each end to a . diamond shape in. the centre." . Kelly and Donovan recommended that the site be declared an Aboriginal Place under the National . Parks and Wildlife Act 1974, that the Service compile a list of all signilicant inJ:om1ation written on the site, ＼ｾｮ､＠ encourage a restoration of the site in due cou1'se. The third site record was made by Gars' Lord in 1983. This gives a sirnilar brief description of the rocks. ａ｣ｾｭｬｩｮｧ＠ to Lord: "This site vvas signi±kant because it was an annual gathering pl.:tce for tribes from all around the Brewarrina, Bourke <md Walgett Districts. The8e included the Mun·awan11y, Ngemba, Widjeri, . · l I· 39 h.Field Observations 1991 · ｋ｡ｲｴｾｩｬｯ＠ tribes of which there are toclay's-clescendants living in Brewmrina. · The person that told me ahout the site was niy great Uncle Ch<1rlie Dodd who lived in Wnlgctl <Ill hi:; life and died If! 1975 at the age of95 yeats of age:" During the 1993 field ttip, Gary Vines ｩｮｶ･ｳｴｧｾ､＠ the slruGtUre of the surviving · walls with ,the aim of working out the miginal coilslruction method, as . far as this was possible, and <lsscssing · whether restor:.1tion or reconstruction was p'ossible. These results of this are given The site records .. do not provide any new ·information about the structure of the Fisheries. below. 3.2 what remains of the Fisheries· a:Terminology have l1een used in this report to desctibe the particular structures found in the To make desctiption of the. system easier, numbers and letters have been used to label ･｡｣ｾ＠ set of traps, and each · individual trap and COI1Jiec1ing wall. FigUres 11, 12 and 13 illustrate the numbering system. The capital letter A, B, C, and D refer to the set of traps. The number identifies the particular trap within a set. The lower case letter identifies the yard associated with the particular trap. Fis'he1ies. The· letter \:V identifies a linking 'vail which runs between the nominated traps. X iridicates a modem structure. The tenns set, trap, yard and linldng wall Traps numb_ered A9, BlO, ｃｾＬ＠ and C9 are isolated from any of these gJ'oups. Traps C8 and C9 are described as "old trap broken" and "old yard" on Mullen's plan suggesting that they are . disused parts of an earlier anangement of the Fisheries. The total number of sets, traps and \valls is based on Mullen's ptari which is the most detailed and complete. Not all of. these can stili be recognised today. Gate. Internal \Vall FTG 1 J Diagram of tr:tps, yards and walls. Drawing by Jearmdte Hope. I \ 40 3.3 Structure .\ as described by JVIathews The · key features · of the system · as · describecl by Mathews are m:; follows: . alsq re.t:orded the changes reported to have occuned in the system Mathews .f since Europ;an arrival. 1. The ｳｴｯｮ･ｾ＠ used to comrlruct the walls varied greatly in si'ze, fl·om 20 pounds (40 kg) tci a hundred wei!.?;l-it (500 kg). 2. The walls were . of dry stone construction "merely laid in position, · L Mosl of lhe pens near the bar (causeway) had "become dilapidated ,;·' beyond recognition.11 smce its use ·as a crossing point for "loaded drays; travelling stock, and general traffic". without n:tortar cir dressing of any kind". 3. The walls were wider at the base and · taperiitg to the top. 4. The larger stones were used at the base of the walls. . 5. The large stones . were rolled into position, the smaller ones carried. 6. The· areas . enclosed varied in area, · f!·om the size of a "small pond · alinost down to the size of a plunge bath". 7. The shai)e of the traps varied, f!-om long and nan·ow, to nearly ·circular, to ilTegular in shape. This \Vas cletenninecl by t11e formation of the river bed, anc\ the access to "heavy buildi.ng material". · 8. The enclosures were continuous across the river, from bank to bank. 9. The average height of the walls varied from t\\ro to three feet ( 60-90cli.l). 10. The walls were about eighteen inches wide at the hase ( 40cm). 11. The top of the \VaUs was "a single course of stones". 2. Therl? was a small rocky island, just below and adjoining the bar. A . few stumps ·indicated that · trees had once gmwn on it. According to both Aboriginal and older white residents, the island had become smaller over the previous 30 or 40 years, due to caltle and other stock trampling it. 3. Betvveen this island and the northern bank, but further downstream, were two other, smaller "insular . patches", with a few trees growing on them. · 4. According to the oldest · of the Aborigines, "the bar itseU' and tl1e tnargins of the little islands, were studded · with catching pens in the olden Li.mes": . 5. The "wreckage" of older traps could be seen in the "shape of scattered boulders and indistinct outlines of tenner enclosures", which 11 sludded" the blank spaces on :tvlathews' plan. G. The whole bed was not occupied by the "maze of traps", because a waterway had to be left for fish to travel to the pens further ｾｰｳｴｲ･｡ｮｩＮ＠ The most uneven: parts of the river bed were left for n{is; beca:use of the difficulty of builcli.ng there: l ; ! . ; 41 .' I SETD SETB BETC F B2 tf-BlO · . ＺＮＭｾｯｲ［ｒｩ＼＠ ｾＭＮ . ﾷ ｾ' 89( + · 7) . . . Bll I< . B · ｾ＠ ﾷ＠ . . T. BIZ--- BlJ R ·FIG 12 Nuinbering system of traps shown on Mullen's 1906 plan. Drawing Jeannette Hope. SETA SETB SETC SETD D2 . ﾷｾ＠ D3 Ｍ ｾ＠ .. FIG 13 Numbe1ing system of traps shown on lviathews' 1903 plan. DrawingJeannette Hope. L\2 . ｾ＠ FIG 1't Probable relationship of walls surviving in 1980 to Mathews ' and Mullen's ｰｬ｡ｮｳｾ＠ I)rawing Jeannette Hope . . ·I I I ｾＭ I \;, r· ｾ＠ . .: . ... ｾ＠ ·. ... . 43 3.4 Structure as seen in early plans While Mathews' written description is the mot:! detailed,. his plan is nol so useful. On th e other hand, Mullen'B original plan, in his surveyor's notehook, 1)rovides much useful detail, ｷｩｴｨ ｾ＠ handwi1tten annotations. The version published in 'Dargin 1976. is a "cleaned up" draughtsman's map. l\.1athews plan shows three sets of walls, . :. and the major named rocks. It doef; not show the silt banks, visible in both Mulleri's plan ;md .the early photographs, . the bedrock outcrops 1n the river ｢｡ｮｬ ｾ＠ or the causev,ray. Tlu·ee of the groups once formed almost continuous barners across the river: The fourth set, the furthest upstream, which . appears only on lvtullen's plan. consisted of several separate traps with only short · sections of connecting wall. Possibly the . rock outcrops and silt banl<s characteristic of this section of the 6ver fmined connecti0.g barriers between these traps. Parts of the traps in this area also appea1· · to have been constructed on higher rocl<y shelves. The roadway whichwas cleared across the river at this point may also have distui·b.ed the original pattern of traps before the l901 ancr 1906 plans were cli·awn. ·The forrn of the individual fish ·traps, shown in :tv1athews' .and Mullen's plans, and still seen today, is survrisingly regular. Each trap is shaped W<e a tear. drop or comma, 1vith . the wide section upstream, .. and the nanow tail downstream. · Mullen's plan (Fig following ｦ･＼ｾｬｵｲｳＺ＠ 10) shows the . I . A consistent size and shape of traps, with their convex sicle facing upstream. 2. . Fifteen traps • have internal vv·aUs separating the narrower tails, or yards . from the larger,.main part of the trap. 3. Six traps have more than one internal wall, usua!Jy at the same end, but in one case each end is waUed off.· . i' \ 4. Several traps are paired, that is, they have a common wall. 5. Most traps or · paired traps are cormected to other traps by short sections of wall, but in some places natural rocks in the bed act as \Valls between traps. 6. The connecting walls are mostly curved, and in s.ome cases these curves look like incomplete traps. These may in fact be traps which have lost par·t of their walls. 1\lfathews' plan has walls and traps not shown in Mullen's ｰｬｭｾＬ＠ especially in the area 7. c7-10. Nea1:ly every trap on Mullen's plim. shows a ｧ｡ｴｾ＠ on the downstream side. The gates open into the main part of the trap, not the yards. Note . that Mullen included two verswns of the complex of traps in the area B913; with the additional sketch co1TeCting · the full plan. Mullen. called the narTow tails "yards" in which the fish were herded for ｳｰ･ｾｴｲｩｮｧ＠ . · or collecting in hand nels. In several . ·i I l j · cases, the dividing walls · can still. be seem. in two · ｮＮｾ｡ｳｯ｢ｬｙ＠ well-preserved traps (C6 and C3). The trap enclosures are about 5 rn by 2 m with the yards cidding an <Hlclitional 2-3 metres. About half the trap:-; have the yard:-; on the lefl ｾ＾ｩ､･Ｌ＠ and half on the right side without · any clear pattern t<_> this distribution. Singk connecting walls run from lTap to trap . aqcl between the traps and the banks. Problems with I\1ullen's plan When the early plans by Mathews and Mullen are compared with the recent aerial photographs and the historic photographs, the general lay-out of the most of · Fishe1ies and the basic shape the individual ilsh traps a.re consistent. However, on Mullen's plan the actual locatic>ns of individual traps and other ·features seem to be displaced and distorted. of details· hom particular vantage points. For exarqple, there is a "knoll of' earth" along · the most westerly chain . line in Mullen's plan. A comparison hetween Mullen,s' . . plan and the modem suxvey shows that · the IGng and Queen Rocks have been drawn on the con·ect bearing from this knoll, but . are too close. to . it. This displacement could only happen if they were drawn fi:om the perspective of this knoll. Mullen probably stood on this point when _he sketched in the .location of the King and Queen Rocks by eye. In general, ·On :tvlullen's plan the relative . positi"ons of adjacenttraps (to each other) are accurate, but they are displaced with regard to the river banl\:s, and their shapes . are distorted. Mathews' plan is more accurate in the positioning of the various constructions but he gives less detail of · .individual traps, so they carmot be matched · to existing features as ·well as those on Mullen's plan. This · displacement seems ·to have ｾ｡ｰ ･ ｮ･､＠ because .Mullen sketched m . as seen today 3.5 Structure .· . ｾ＠ . This section is based on Gmy Vines work in 1991, with additional contribution by Nathan .Perkins in 1993. Today three clear sets of traps across the river can still be seen, even though many walls have collapsed. Some trace of appro.ximately 50°,.0 of the traps and walls shown on the early '1900's plans and historic photographs can be located on the 1980 aerial photographs and on the ground with a reasonable degree of celi<linty. These are mainly in the area of Sets B and C. An additional 10% can be located with a less certainty. These are in areas where large concentrations of rocks are consistent . wi1l1 the location of original traps or walls although no particular form of structure can be identified. The remaining traps, mainly in Sets A and D, at the eastem and westem ends, . can only be idcntiJied on the ·early plans and photographs. No trace can now be found either in the aerial photographs or on the ground. · Of an estimated 1. 8 lzilometres . cl \\ialls which origir1<tlly existed, an estirnated 750 ·metres survive in some · form. · Jliese · estimates include the -vva]h; · of traps, yards, and connecting walls and are based \ !. . ｾ＠ ; ; 45 . . . . FIG 15 Displacement of Kullur (King) and DnexTaginni (Queen) in Mullen's plan, based on survey by Harold Jackson, December 1991. .' MN, ' i I I i ' \ ·' \. I 4() on the measurements taken otT the aerial ｰｨｯｴｧｲ｡ｳｾﾷ＠ existence of older, buried traps ｵｮ､ｾｲ＠ this silt. The eastern end of the Fisheries seems to be the area most disturbed by European activity, particularly by the collection of stone . for building in the . town and: clearance of stone for the ford and later weir construction. Further damage of stmctures at both ends of the Fisheries is due to natural attrition caused by river currents and floods. The central section is .protected to some extent by large rock outcrops and silt banks, so the traps are better preserved there. About 5% of the original system survives . in substantially intact · form. That is, the stone structures are still standing on their original alignments, and possibly to their original heights. Some of these structures: · Trap C6, Linking Wall WC3-4, Linking Wall WC2-.3, a1i.d Yard C3a are · described below. · Apart from the stone structures, there are a nurnber of silt banl<s on the .rock bar, some with low vegetation. These have <llways · been present, since Mullen included a "knoll of earth" · and "earth" banks in his ·plan. However the silt banks do not seem to be permanent features. Some of those existing today, especially near the weir, cannot be found on the histodc photogtaphs. It is probable that the silt banks form, erode and refo1m over time. Their positions may be related to the . trap system - silt may collect and build up over walls in areas were the Clllrent is slow. We cannot discount the ｾ＠ When the most complete . tl;aps were ·examined in December 1991, the depth of water in the traps was Hbout 50cm, with the walls rising another 40cm above that, giving a total wall height of 90 em. Traps with sufficient structure remaining were in the vicinity of Traps C4, C5 and C6. · Iri some places the traps are built on extensi\le rocky . shoals making measurement of wall height difficult. The level of 'the bed of the traps also varies, with an apparent gradual shallowing towards the yards. The distance from the ·top of the wall to the bottom of the yards in the traps examined was between 10 and 30 em, with the shallow pari at the downstream e>..iremity. Tlus suggests that the water is at any time shallower in the yards than in the main part of the · trap. However, the sample of intact traps is small and this ina)' not be a general situation. most. If it is, ｾｨ･ｮ＠ such a change in depth may . be clue . to several factors ' the most . . obvious be.ing the nature ·of construction where the nanower space betvveen the walls necessitates a shallower basin in between. Natural siltation caused by the slower cunents in the well protected yards has also affected theii' water depth. There was less turbulence observed in the yards than in the mam sections of the traps. . . . . . . . 3.6 Types of constr·uction of the Traps, Yards and Walls This section gives brief descriptions of a · be seen in sample of stmctures that ｾ｡ｮ＠ the F{sheries. Fuller descriptions wiU be · found in Appendix 5. A:.: well as the structures shown on the 1901 and 1906 plans, there are some more recent constructions on the rock bar, which · are thought to be modern attempts .at reconstrl.1ction. ·These are included here so to distinguish between the "oii.ginal" and later structures. This is necessary in order to establish criteria for authentic reconstmction. as 1 Structures of Aboriginal Construction Trap C6 mtd Linking ·Wal1 CS-·6 This is a well · preserved trap with evidence of yards and connecting wall. It is probably the most intact individual trap in the Fishery. From a comparison of the ·. early photographs and an assessment of the river heights it would appear that the walls are at least. ill pmi intact to their original height. A cormect:ing wall joins the downstream end of the yard to the next trap in the system. This connecting wall is similar in form but slightly more substantial than the wall of the trap, and is parallel to the line of the river CutTent; its preservation is probably clue to this aligtm1ent. It curves away slightly on the upstream side . forming a "V". 2 Structures of Probable Aboriginal· Construction· Part ｴｾ｛ｔｲ｡ｰ＠ A4 · This is a crescent of large rocks on the edge of an area of bedrock. It is probably a remnant of an original trap. Part of Trap B7 This is a long wall, originally .part of a . trap system and connecting wall. Mullen's plan· shows a fish trap at this location. It. . is recognisable as such on Mullen's plan by the presence of the gate on the downstream wall, but it does not match . the general shape of the rest of the fish traps. Mathews' plan differs slightly, showing a series of· small enclosures divided · by short cross walls .. Insufficient detail or accuracy in these plans makes it difficult this section. ｈｯｷ･ｶｾｲＬ＠ the to work . .rocks of the surviving stmcture appear to be more weathered than either those of . trap B9 and ｬｩｮｾＮｧ＠ ｶｾＱｕ＠ WB&-9 or the clearly modem features X 1 and X2. out Linki.Jtg }Vall CJ-4 This is a substantial connecting. wall ｾｶｨｩ｣＠ curves downstream between traps C3 and C4, It has survived better than other coMecting walls which nm across the cu1Tent; .. probably because it has become-<:1 pqint ofsiltation. Liuking TVall C2-3 This can be matched vvith a connecting wall on l\tii1llen's plan, but the large gu.1ntities of rocks for'lning a shallow . . FIG 16 Sketch .of wall on northe1:n side of Trap C 6. Drawing Gary Vine, modified ;· : Jemmette Hope._ ｾ ｟ｌ＠ ｾ＠ 9 ﾷ ｾ＠ ｾ＠ v r "' -", . 5l 2: Height of walls: 85-90 em above bed 3. Walls oftraps approximately I m wide at base, made up · of two lines .of large rocks with a · till of smaller ones. Walls narrow to about 50 em at top. lVIiddk section of walls made up of stnaller stones, hut upper course consists of single · wide stones. Some through stones used at all levels of wall. Where walls aligned across current, sloping batter of 45-55 degrees on the downstream .side of walls, upstream side of walls slope· at angle of 75-85 degrees. 4. Yards formed by narrowing tail of trap, walls of same structure, but built closer and parallel to each other, and aligned with water flow. Floor of yards higher than in main 'part oftrap, so water shallower. '. 5. Connecting walls - similar construction to trap walls, but generally narrower; join traps to each other' or to bedrock outcrops in tiver or on bank; some seem to be aligned parallel or at acute angle to water t1ow · fanning funnel directed at traps. It is not always obvious from the plans that the connecting walls fulfilled such a function. 6. Upstream walls of traps appear to have stones less tigl1tly packed and allow more water through. 7. Downstream walls of traps and connecting walls held back water like a dam and possibly regulated water heigllt. 8. 01iginal heights . of . walls appear to have been at the same level within each section of traps. · 9. In general, the constmction exhibits a degree of sophistication and economy, with rocks tightly placed, often with their length in to the wall rather than a\ong it, · so providing greater strength and · knitting the courses together. Larger stones are placed on the top (like capping stones on <1 dry stone ｷＺＮｾｬＩ＠ and g1vt) greater stability to t:he structure. · This summary is based on a small sample · of the surviving walls without the benefit of detailed measured drawings and mapping of the structures. Completion of the more detailed survey is necessary in order to establish the degree of variation and the broad applicability of these preliminary "niles of construction". Use Model The curved fonn of the traps is probably a.function 'of buildirig to withstand the forces of the .river cun·ents. The curve acts aB an arch. against the weight of the water. The tail sections or yards follow the line of the cu.frents. This means they produce less resistance to the cunents but . also means that the water within the yards tends to be calmer. Mullen's plan shows gates on the downstream side, intended for· fish attempting to migrate up river. The downstrean walls of the traps with their gates would, have acted like a natural channel through the rocks so the small opening with a fast current would attract fish searching out the stronger currents. As the sets of . traps fonn continuous haniers across the river, they were probably used in unison. By creating a continuous barrier the chances of catching the greatest number of fish would be increased. For all four groups to be operated simultaneously a substantial number of ·. fish must have been allowed to pass the lower traps unhindered. . I: ' Photo l 0 View of main channel early this century from south bank. Markers on trees were for river captains. Trap in foreground probably A7; A4 and AS top left. Tyrrell Collection No. 75/504, Dargin 1976 p.47. 53 Photo ll ·View of main channel eat"ly this century hom south bank Photograph labelled "Blacks Fisheries on the Darling", source unknown. This photo was taken from the same position as Pholo 9, and some of the trees can he matched up. However, it is a later photograph than Photo 9 si:r'tcc the tree with the markers has gone. { 54 Photo 12 View of main ｣ｨｾｮ･ｬ＠ in 197lfrom same position as Pholos 9 and 10. Some of the trees can stitl be recognised. Photograph Greg Jackson. \· 55 Phot<i 13 View of main charmel in December 1991 from same position as Photos 9, 10 and ll. Some of the trees can still he recognised. Part of the weir can be seen at top right. Photograph Jeannette Hope. FIG 17 Compatison of. trees in photographs. A Photo 10, B Photo 11, C Photo 12, D Photo 13. -C::> · .. 57 Photo 14 View upstream along Fisheries, early this cenluty. TytTell Collection No. 75/507, Dargin 1976 P:44. ［Ｚｾ＠ .... • .. ·.· .. .. :_, . .. / ｾＺＮ ｾ＠ •.'t'$· . • 58 Photo 15 View upstream along Fisheries, 1971, from same position as Photo . B, Dargin 1976 p. 45. Photograph Greg Jackson. .· I r I i I I I ' 59 4 \VHY THE ｂｒｅ｜ｾＧａｉｎ＠ FISHERIES ·ARE IIVIPORTANT ., 4.1 \Vhat is Cultural Significance? I '· ; :i . , I Cultural ｳｩｧｮｾＱ｣｡･＠ is a tenn used to desc1ibe what it is thai makes a place impoltant to people. ":\ Thei·e are different kinds of cultural significance. A place may be important to people because of what happened there in the past or because it. shows how people lived in the past. It ｮｾ｡ｹ＠ be significant because it has religious 01: · spnitual meaning, or because it is of special importance to n specific group of people. Or, it may be nnportant to people because of its beauty or at1ractiveness. Some places are nnportant for more than one reasons. There are also different degrees of significance. A place which is important because it presen,es a past way of living may be rare, if it is the only one that survives. It may also be·important if is a good example of something that is more · common. ..., .... ,;_:;: -.\;: -- 4.2 Assessing Cultural Significance The idea of working out, or assessing, significance arose because of controversy over the consetvation of hist01ic buildings. Assessing the significance of a hist01ic building meant that all the reasons for its importance were set out in advance. The aim was to ensure that arty changes made to that building did not damage or remove the reasons for its i.mpo11ance. · The principles for the conservation of places of cultural significance are set out in a document called the Bun-a .Chart"er adopted by AUSTRALL.<\ ICOMOS, the Australian branch of an intemational conservation organisation, ICOMOS, the l:ntemational Council for the Conservation and . Restoration of lv1onuments and Sites. Most govenunent for helitage agencies responsible conservation have made a commitment to work within the guide-lines of the Brura Charter. ｾＭ ·The ButTa Charter itself is very brief. So gove11m1ent consetvation agencies have l"o prepared more detailed ｧｵｩ､ｾＭＱｮ･ｳ＠ assist with the assessment of cultural significance. ·. The guidelines used here are those developed by the Australian He1itage ｃｯｲｮＬｪｳ Ｄ ｾｯｸＺｬ ｩﾷ＠ for the Register of the Nation·al Estate. Tlus is for places of significance Australia-wide. The ａｾ ｳ ｴｲ｡ｬｩｮ＠ Heritage Commission's criteria are used to decide whether a place is sufficiently important for it to be included on the Register of the National Estate. Tlus is a ·list of places "of the natUral environment of Aus1J"alia or the cultural environment of. Australia, that ·· · have aesthetic, historic, scientific or social significance ·or other speciai value for future generations as well as the })resent community". However the Australian Heritage Commission has limited powers to 60 Photo 16 Looking across river ii.·om south hanlc, early this century, possibly loolcing ｡｣ｲｯｳｾ＠ Set C. Tyn·el\ Collection 75/511, not in ｄ｡ｲｾ＠ 1976. · !t . , . 61 i. i actually protect these places. This is ｴｾＱ･＠ n:;sponsibility of state goveinments. In NS'V the NSW National Parks and ·w ildlife Service is responsible for Aboriginal sites, · and the Deparlment of Planning for historic ones. Assessm_ent of significance of Aboriginal sites is mainly done in cases where a site · is under threat of destruction, in order to demonstrate that it should be conServed. Assessment of significance of historic sites is more often done when an historic bui).ding is to be restored, modified or developed. ·The aim here is to ensure that any changes made do not damage .or detract from its significance. . The Brewanma Fisheries has a lot in common with the usual situation for historic buildings. It is not in any direct danger of destmction, apart from the continuing gradual erosion -by the river cutTents. It is a buijt structure which l1as suffered from lack of maintenance and is in need of repair. Its restoration is being considered. Tl1e aim of the assessment of significance is to spell out all the reasons why it is important. The aim of the Conservation is to discuss how the significant ,. ｐｬ｡ｾ＠ things about the Fisheries can be protected. Would the significance of the Fisheries be affected · by restoration? Should restoration be done, or not? 4.3 Criteria·for the Register of the Na tiona I Estate The Brewarrina . Fisheries is already included on the Register of the National Estate. However, it was no:m.inated in the early days before detailed criteria were spelt ·out. . As a result of this stud:y, the infmma1ion in the register about the Fishexies should be revised. The criteria for the Register of the National Estate are listed in. Appendix 6. 4.4 Significance Assessment of the Brewarrina Fisheries Tlus assessment is based on the criteria for the Register of the National Est.ate. The ｩｴｾＱｰｯｲ｡ｮ｣･＠ of the Fishedes is i I discu.c;sed under the relevant subheading of each criterion. 4.4. 1 CRITERION A: Th.fPORTANCE IN THE COURSE, OR PATTERN,_-OF AUSTRALIA'S NATURAL OR CULTURAL IDSTORY jAl Importance in the evolution of the Australian nora, fauna, landscapes or climate. . •! i . The Brewarrina Fisheries are consimcted on a bedrock bar in the · Batwon River, exposed and eroded by ｴｨｾ＠ action of the river. The bar consists of schists whjch underlie sands and gravels marking the bed of an ancient river which flowed at right-angles to the_Bar·won at this point I -B oth the schists and sands and gravels h ave been hardened by the formation of a · ·· layer of silcrete, which reflects a period · of land stabjlity nnd soil fotmation -many millions ofyears ago. 62 The modem land swface of much of the Murray-Darling Basin is made up of deep . sands and clays deposited by wind and river action. There are few windows. through these layers into the rocks beneath. · The rock exposure at Brewarrina provides one of the rare exposures on the Darling River and its major tributaries which contains evidence of climatic, geological and geomorphological processes older .than the last 50,000 years. 4.4.2 CRITERION B: POSSESSION OF UNCO:M:M:ON, RARE OR ENDANGERED ASPECTS OF AUSTRALIA'S NATURAL OR CULTURAL IllSTORY B2 Importance in demonstrating a distinctive way of life, custom, process, ｬｾｮ､Ｍｵｳ･Ｌ＠ function or design no longer practiced, in danger of being lost, or of exceptional interest . · ｾＭ . Brewan'i.na Fisheries is significant under this criterion because it demonstrates a major development in the prehistoric technology used by Aboriginal people. The Fisheries also represents a "cultural landscape •• where the cultural actions of people have changed the natural landscape in such a way as to produce an environment that reflects the inteiTelations of people and land, or culture and nature. Fishing was an inlportant aspect of traditional Aboligi.nal life and Aboriginal people developed a wide ·range of techniques and . methods, . including netting, trapping, line and spear fishing. Rock fish traps were constructed in coastal areas, where fish were trapped as the tide rose and fell. Fish traps were also widely used on the Mumiy-Darling River, but .most consisted of wood and brush fences. This was due to the lack of available rock along the river systems. For this reason, stone ftc:;h traps were rare · on the river system and confmed to tl1e upper tributaries as far as is l<itown: Apart from the Brewarrina Fishelies, Dargin . .(1976) notes that there were stone fish traps on the Barwon both near Collewarry and 40km above Brewarri.na. These have now disappeared. Stmt (1834)" noted a Fisheries at Gongolgan at the present weir ·site on the Bogan River: It was evident that the creek had b een numerously frequented by ·tl1e natives, . although no recent traces of them could be found. It had a bed of coarse red granite, of the fragments of which the natives had constructed a werr for tl1e purpose of taking fish. Lower · down the Darling, below Newfoundland Station there were similar but smaller fisheries. These are seen as "Native Fisheries" on some maps but are no longer in existence having b een washed away or removed to allow passage ofboats. Old.river maps, used by 1he paddle steanler captains, show ·many rock bars and outcrops which may have been used as fisheries; . but the·se are marked only as obstacles _to navigation. The Brewarrina Fisheries are now the only surviving example on the river . I I 63 system. Their ·survival is mainly due to the fact that they were by far the largest and the most complex in structure. The only comparable · structures in Australia are the stone eel traps · of western Victoria. Here Aboriginal people built e"-1:ensive systems of stone races, canals, traps and walls to divert water from s1J:eams and lagoons. Eels· were the nlain species of fish caught in the traps.: These systems have been described by ｾｯｵｴｳＬ＠ Frank, and Hughes (1.978) who commented: I . I ! The only other complex of traps which is anything like the Lake Condah structures is found at Brewanina in New South .Wales. ... The parallels between Brewarrina and Lake Condah .are strilci.ng; clearly local Aboriginal groups recognised the unique topographical and hydrologic settings of each of these ｡ｲ･ｾＬ＠ and then modi;fj.ed them to optin:iise fishing strategies. There are however real · differences between the two systems. The Lake Condah traps were built in swampy low areas around. a lake, where water rose and fell relatively slowly. The ｾｧｩｮ･ｲ＠ problems were .greater at Brewarrina, · where the traps had to withstand the force of the riVer flow. Therefore the Brewanina. Fisheries is now unique in demonstrating the fishing technology developed for the major river system of ａｵｳｴｲｾ｡Ｎ＠ The combination of appropriately cycling river '- flows, economically useful freshwater fish, and physical conditions appropriate to · large scale fixed stone traps (as ·opposed to temporary wooden ones, or nets) is rare in inland Ausb:alian waters. 4.4.3 CRITERION C: POTENTIAL TO YIELD INFORMATION THAT WILL CONTRIBUTE 'rOAN UNDERSTANDING OF AUSTRALIA'S NATURAL OR . CULTURALHISTORY . i Cl Importance for information contributing to a wider understanding of Australian natural history, by virtue of its use as a research site, teaching site, type locality, · reference or benchmark site. ' The rock bar on which the Fisheries is constructed has the potential to provide irifonnation about the geological and climatic history of the Murray-Darling Basin, because it is one of the few exposures . in the region capable of providing information about . earlier river systems. · ' Photo 17 View across river fi·om south h:mk early this century; Dnen·aginni (Que_en Rock) on left front, KiJ.TagulTa rock on far bank on tight. Probably B6 on tight, B 5 on left. Tyn·ell Collection 7'5/508, Dargin 1976 p.4-8. · 65 Photo 18 View across river in December 199.1 from same point as Photo 17. Photograph · Jeannette Hope. 66 . C2 Importance for inforniation contributing to a wider understanding of the history of human occupation ·of Australia. The Brewarrina · Fisheries . has great potential for providing information about Aboriginal prehistory. In spite of being well.:.known, recorded in the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service Site Register arid on Register of the National Estate, there has been no study of the construction or use of the Fisheries or of . other nearby sites. ·when Dargin compiled the historic and ... photographic records for his book, he found that the only detailed written · accom1t of the Fisheries was that of lv.fathews, written · in 1903. This Conservation Plan is 1he first real study of the Fisheries, but it has been doue within · a very short time-frame, is based on very limited field work and does not intend to be a full recording of the site. However, even within these limitation, 1he following areas for further study can . be suggested. a.· Aboriginal traditional and modern knowledge. Because of time limitations, this study has .not been able to properly cover Aboriginal knowledge about the Fisheries. Two areas should be· looked at in the future. First, whether there iS any unrecorded traditional knowledge still held ·by Aboriginal people or recorded in early historical records. In particular, the rdation between the Fisheries and the Cobar rock art sites ｾ･､ｳ＠ to be followed up. Second, the Fisheries have continued to be impmtant to the ... Aboriginal . conununity over the last few generations. Many people remember their childhood expe1iences on the Fisheries, and the area Ｎ＠ 1bis has continued to be used for ｦｩｳｾｧ oral history .should be recorded. It would be an ideal project for the local school. and functional Structural b. comparisons with other fish traps. In particular, it would be interesting to compare the Brewamna Fisheries .with the similar trap systems of western Victoria. How similar (or different) are the construction techniques? Is it possible. to compare the atnount of labour needed · to construct and maintain the traps. Perhaps the Victorian traps needed less maintenance. Did the different species caught in the two systems affect the way the traps were built, or the V:'ay they functioned? c. Experimental fishing. If the Brewanina Fisheries are partly restored, it would be possible to do some experiments to test how the traps functioned, and how efficient they were at catching fish. Some questions would be: How many people are needed to . work the Fishedes? What sod' of catch numbers could be made, and so how · many people could be fed? Is it easier to catch fish going upstream or downstream, and is it necessary to change the position of the gates depending on which way the fish are running? What is the best river · level for the traps to function and for how long will they function at low river levels? Do they worlc best on a rising or falling river? d. Aboriginal sites in the Brewarrina area. The Brewan-ina Fisheries were an important meeting point for Aboriginal groups over a wide area of northwest NSW. Large numbers of people regularly 67 ｧ｡ｴｨ･ｲｾ､＠ .on .the river banks. A1tl10ugh Aboriginal · sites. have been recorded . around Brewarrina; they have never been thoroUghly looked at in tenus of their relationship to .the· Fisheries. Are there · any sites that may be where large .n umbers of people gathered? Are there stone tools at Brewarrina. that are more · typical of other parts of western NSW, that might have been brought there by people gathering at the Fisheries, or traded in. Was stone from nearby quarries n:a.ded out, perhaps at the time of major ga,therings, a11d if so where did it go to? . . ｾ＠ !. ! e. River records. N; well as further direct study of the . Fisheries themsdves and the · nearby sites, it would also be possible to use general information about the river flow and fish behaviour to make a model ·of how the Fisheriet;; worked. Tllis could be ､ｯｾ･＠ by using ｴｨｾ＠ historic liver discharge records tQ estimate how often and for what length of time the . traps would have been above water, and so useable over 1he last 100 years. By combining this with estimates of the size and behaviour of fish populations; derived from bi'ological knowledge about U1e ·ftsh, it would ｢ｾ＠ possible to estimate the .maximum fish catch possible. This would give some basis for estimates of the peliods of time that the Fisheries could ·support people, and possibly also tbe maximum numbers. f. Aboriginal social organisation. The constJ.uctjon and maintenance of a large "public work" like the Fisheries has implications for the social relations of the people · who built ·it. To build ' 1he Fisheries, or even to mamtain it .large· numbers ｯｾ＠ people had to · work cooperatively 1o a common goal. Tills also applies to the construction of the . larger Victorian trap system. It has been that . Aboriginal social suggested organisation in Victoria had becon1e more complex than elsewhere in Australia over the last few thousand years, because of the increasing size of tl1e population there ( eg Lourandos 1980). The studies suggested above would provide infom1ation to consider whether the same thing might have been happening on the Ba!Won. ·. g. Age of the Fisheries. At 1he moment . ·it is not know how. old .the Brewarrina · Fisheries are. A likely tirny · for the · . beginning of · construction could be estimated from the river history. The · water flow in the Mun:ay-Dading River . system has fluctuated greatly over the last 50,000. Before about 15,000 years ago, enough water flowed to fill the enonnous and now dry lake basins of the Willandra and Darling·Jakes. Fish traps ·would have been pointless if river was consistently high, or if low water periods were not reasonably frequent and regular. On evidence from the lower Darling, the last two periods of low, and/or extreme fluctuations in flow ·conditions streams are 15-9000 years and · about 3000 to present Further research would be needed to see if those dates can be supported for the upper Darling and its tributaries. It is ·interesting that Baiame is said to have created the Fisheries during a great drougJtt. It is logical that the construction of. the FiSheries would only have been poss1ole ·when liver levels were regularly low ie. at a time of greater cl.iJ.natic aridity - a period of drought Firially, any furlller studies . of the Fisheries or related sites m the 'i ..i 68 Photo 19 Looking downstrean1 along Fisheries in 1971. Photograilh North Wes1em Rivers Tourist A<;sociation. ...• ... ｾ＠ 69 Brewarrina area would enhance the educational value of the Fisherie·s. Apart from the long-tenn education of school children, tourists etc., actual recons1ruc1ion of patt of the fisheries would he an educational experience for those participating and for the whole Brewanina community. 4.4.4 CRITERION D: IMPORTANCE IN DEMONSTRATING THE PRINCIPAL CHARACTERISTICS OF (I) A CLASS OF AUSTRALIA'S NATURAL AND CULTURAL PLACES; OR (II) A CLASS OF AUSTRALIA'S NATURAL OR CULTURAL ENVffi.ONMENTS D2 Importance of demonstrating the principal characteristics of the range of human activities in the Australian environment (including way of life, custom, land-use, function, design or technique). This criterion covers places that are good examples of their . type. Brewanina Fisheries by virtue of its uniqueness cannot be seen as a good Ｂｴｹｰｩ｣ｾｬ＠ example of Aboriginal fish traps. However, it does come under · this category if seen as representing "the optimal development of the type". - that is . of the range of stone fish trap systems constmcted in Australia.. · 4.4.5 CRITERION E: ｉｍｐｏｒｾａｎｃｅ＠ IN DEMONSTRATING ｐｾｔｉｃｕｌａｒ＠ A.ESTFIETIC CHARACTERISTICS VALUED BY A COMMUNITY OR CULTURAL GROUP E 1 Importance for a ·community for aesthetic characteristics held in high esteem or otherwise valued by the community I I 'i This criterion relates to the concept of ideal · beauty or design, for example a place which demonstrates the design principles of an architectural style, or an ideal landscape. It can also cover places such as Aboriginal rock paintings which are esteemed by people for their artistic or qualities. The · degree of ｩｮｴ･ｧＺｾｹ＠ completeness is also important. The stlucture and layout of the Brewanina Fisheries has an architectural quality in its patterned repetition. This has been imposed on it by the fimctional requireinents of its location. It has parallels with modem architectural styles that deliberately let the fonn of the building follow the function. This may not have been intentional in the case of the builders of the Fisheries, but the result was still aesthetically pleasing. The patterning however can best be seen in the early plans of the Fisheries, and the erosion that has occurred h11s resulted in a loss of integrity. 70 Photo 20 Grinding grooves on rock on south bank of river, adjacent to rock named Muar, December 1991. Photograph Je.annette Hope. Photo 21 Grinding grooves on rock on south hank of river, adjacent to rock named Muar, December 1991. Photograph Jeannette Hope. 71 4.4.6 CRITERION F: IMPORTANCE-IN DEMONSTRATING A HlGH DEGREE OF CREATIVE OR TECHNlCAL ACIDEVEMENT AT A PARTICULAR PERIOD Fl Importance for its technical, creative, design or artistic excellence, innovation or achie,,ement. The Brewanina Fisheries is significant for its demonstration of a high degree of technical achievement by its Aboriginal creators. This achievement depended on a depth of local environmental knowledge about the behaviour of the river and the fish. The construction also required technical skills in designing the traps both to work effectively as fish traps and to withstand the pressure of the water flow. The earlier physical analysis of the ·trap system shows how the construction techniques had basic design concepts in common with European chy stone wall cons1ructions, but also utilised the principle of the arch to provide the structures with the strength and stability to withstand the water pressure. 4.4.7 CRITERION G: STRONG OR SPECIAL ASSOCIATIONS WITH A PARTICULAR COl\11\1UNITY OR CULTURAL GROUP FOR SOCIAL, CULTURAL OR SPIRITUAL REASONS G 1 Importance as a place highly valued by a community for reasons of religious, spiritual, symbolic, cultural, educational or social associations The traditional spiritual significance of the Fisheries to the Aboriginal people who built and used it is demonstrated by the Baiame legend and the association with the Cobar mck art. The Fisheries is now also highly valued by the modem Brewarrina Aboriginal community because it is a highly visible symbol of traditional life and land ownership. It is the · landmark or central point for the Brewarrina Aboriginal community essential for the community's sense of place. It has social value to the community as well - tlte presence of the Fisheries contributed to the establishment of the Aborigin-al reseiVes, now Abmiginalowned land, at Brewarrina and recent generations of Aboriginal children have grown up playing and fishing among the rock traps and walls in the river. The following comments are examples of Aboriginal views on the. importance of the Fisheries: The· Fisheries mean to me a celebration of our people. Their achievements and for what the Fisheries stand for. There are two rocks standing side by side, the way both black and white should be standing side by side. Vincent Bond, Kamilaroi Tribe 72 The fish traps remind me of the old people used to catch fish in the trap. That tl1e way we can learn the way they do it But I like the way _the two big rocks are sitting close together, because it seem so much to the Koories because they are the King and Queen. Chris . Boney, Barwon Four, Brewarrina · Being of Ngemba descent the fish traps make me a very proud person, my imagination is stretched to its.limit. Just to look and see the complexity and the ingenuity to create such a wonder. It ｾｭｬ､＠ have been great to have been there and saw h9w it was done, without any mechanical device. An4 to know that it was $.1ared by all neighbouring tribes showed there was no greed, jealousy, hatred towards each other. No wonder it was such a good meeting place, just putting it simply the fish traps is a bond that will never be broken between me and my ancestors, and I'm even more proud now that it can be shared with the world showing that we were and still am a great people. Kevin Williams, Ngemba Tribe The Fisheries have an educational value, recognised and enhanced by the construction of the Brewarrina Aboriginal Cultural ｍｵｳ･ｾ＠ located on the bank of the BaiWon nex1: to the Fisheries. The circular design of the Museum revolves around a model of the river and *e Fisheries. The Museum is filled with the sound of running water. The Fisheries is known to Aboriginal people along the length of the Darling River and throughout ｷ･ｾｴｲｮ＠ New South Wales, so its cultural significance is regionally based. Within Brewarrina it is also impotiant to the non-Aboriginal conmmnity as a landmark in the town. The non-Aboriginal community initiated the annual Festival of the Fisheries. 4.4.8 CRITERION H SPECIAL ASSOCIATION \VITH THE LIFE OR VvORKS OF A PERSON, OR GROUP OF PERSONS, OF IMPORTANCE IN AUSTRALIA'S NATURAL OR CULTURAL IDSTORY Hl Importance for close associations with individuals whose activities have been . significant within the history of the nation, State or region. This criterion deals with significance as it relates to the historic actions of prominent ｩｮ､ｨｾｵ｡ｬｳＮ＠ As such it has less relevance to Aboriginal culture than to European. 73 4.5 STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE This is the Statement of Significance of the Brewarrina Aboriginal Fisheries. It is a surnmaty of why it is impot1·anL CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE: The Brewarrina Fislu:lries is highly significant to the Aboriginal community of Brewarrina and western New South Wales because of its traditional, spiritual, symbolic and cultural associations. (Criterion G) The Brewarrina Fisheries if highly significant because it demonstrates an important aspect of Aboriginal culture, ｴｬｾ･＠ Ｈｦｾｶ･ｬｯｰｭｮｴ＠ of highly skilled fishing techniques. (Criterion A.4) The Brewarrina Fisheries is highly significant in demonstrating a distinctive way of life no longer practiced and of exceptional interest- the traditional fisheries of Aboriginal people 9f the ｄ｡ｲｬｩｮｧｾｂｷｯ＠ River. (Criterion B.2) The Brewarrina Fisheries is highly significant because of its potential for contributing to a wider understanding o( the his.t ory of Aboriginal people in Australia. (Criterion C.2) The Brewarrina Fisheries is highly significant in demonstrating a high degree of technical achievement by Aboriginal people in the area of engineering works, in that the Fisheries required both knowledge of river hydrology and fish biology and technical skills in design and construction. (Criterion F) NATURAL SIGl'ITFICANCE: The Brewarrina Fisheries is significant in the evolution of the Australian landscape because the bedrock outcrop on which it is built provides a rare geological exposure along the Darling River system which reveals evidence of past landscape history. (Criterion A.l) The Brewarrina Fisheries is significant in that it has potential t.o contribute t.o a wid er understanding of Australian landscape history, by study of the geological ex:posure of the rockbar. (Criterion C.l) 74 Photo 22 View across river from south hank, early this century. Probably looking across Bll-13 area. Trees on right of this photo are same as trees on left of Photos 9-12. Not included in Dargin 1976. Photograph :tvfitchell Libra1y. 75 Photo 23 View across river from south bank, early this cenlury. Taken fmm slighlly to the left (west) of Photo 22, showing same traps (probably Bll-13) from slightly higher viewpoint. Not included -in Dargin 1976. Photograph Mitchell Library. i J. 76 5 W!IAT SHOULD I-lAPPEN TO THE FISHERIES? 5.1 Options for the future of the Fisheries What should be done wi1l1 a site lil(e the Brewanina Fisheries? By its very nature it was a constantly changing site. Unlike most European buildings, it probably never had an "original" designed form. 1t probably started ｷｩｾ＠ some small fish traps, .then grew and expanded over many years, possibly hundreds or thousands of years, with each generation of Aboriginal . people repairing, expanding and refining its structure. It was never a "fmished" cons1ruction, but an ever-changing one. During the use of the Fisheries, the natural force of the river, especially at high levels, would have repeatedly damaged the walls and traps and they would have needed regular maintenance were exposed and rebuilding when ｴｨｾｹ＠ at times oflow river level. Mullen's map shows some small traps not connected with the main sets, and labelled "old traps" and Mathews also noted that remains of older · walls were visible. . This suggests· that some traps wei·e abandoned over time as new ones were built. · When Europeans arrived and dispossessed the Aboriginal people of Bre\vanina, the nature of change changed and accelerated. The .last time the rock walls were in full traditional use and maintenance was probably in the 18 50s or 60s. Some Aboriginal use continued until the turn of the century, but by 1885 the population had collapsed and the few remaining people were moved to BatWon Resetve. The anival of Europeans did two things to the Fisheries: a) stopped traditional mamtenance, and b) began active dest:mction. Startingin about 1860, the traps were disturbed by removal of rocks to allow paddleboats through, the building of the causeway, and later the weir, and the removal of rocks for building foundations in the town. By the time Mathews and l\v1ullen smveyed the traps in the 1890s and in 1906, they had fallen into disuse and ､ｩｾｲ･ｰ｡Ｎ＠ According to Joe Colless in 1906, the last Aboriginal man who knew how they worked had died some years before. With no continued repair, tl.1.e 1iver . current and especially floods have also taken their toll. Over the yea:rs more · rocks were lmocked off the walls by fishern1en, or kids playing in the river or hunting for yabbies. We can say some things for certain: a) we do not know what the system looked 1ilce before European arrival. b) the system recorded by Mathews, Mullen and in the historic photos had already suffered substantial destmction c) many walls and traps shown on the 1906 sutvey no longer exist, and the few that do are not much more than piles of rubble. This was an inevitable process, once the traps stopped being used and repaired . . . So 1l1e historic photos must be used with caution - they probably don't show the original structure of the top of the walls. The map is probably reliable for the relative locations and shapes of the 77 i . I i traps (making allowance for the known distortions in it due to the smvey method), except for the eastern end. · There are two basic options for the funrre of the Brewan:ina Fisheries. 1. Treat the stmcture as a ruin in the process of decay and let this process continue, that is, do nothing actively to the s1J.ucture. 2. ·Actively intervene m the decay process. There rAre two choices here, i,.. I a. attempt to stabilise the structures as they now are b. attempt to restore and reconstruct some or all of the s1ructures to some past, more complete, state. i As discussed earlier, the Fisheries was probably ever-changing, with walls knocked over by floods and rebuilt, maybe differently. In theory it would be impossible to decide which snap-shot of time was the "real" Fisheries, since it was never stable. In practise there is no problem, because there is only one . choice- 1906. This is the only possible time to use as a basis for restoration and reconstruction - since the only good historical map was done then, and ·the historic pictures date about the same period. A choice between these options needs to take in into account two things: · 1. Is the action acceptable on hetitage grounds? 2. Is the action feasible - that is, is it teclmically possible? 3. "What are the long-term implications? 4. Is it likely to do more harm than good? 5.2 Option 1. Do Nothing - Leave the Fisheries as they are now In built environment terms, the traps are a "ruin" -the processes of history have resulted in their cunent form. To do nothing leaves tl1e situation as is, but runs the risk that in time the river will break down the remaining walls so that their will be nothing left but a scatter of stones. This may be an acceptable result. What is lil<ely to happen in the future? 1\.fost of fue walls have either gone completely or fallen into mounds of rocks or been covered by silt banks. The mounds of rocks are probably stable, arid unlil<ely to change much perhaps get a little flatter and wider as rocks are . washed about. Silt-covered traps are stable for the moment. Although the silt banks do change with time (as shown by the difference in photos over the years), the silt does slow down the effect of the current on movement of tl1e rocks. Fw1her collapse is only an issue for the few walls that are still in reasonable condition. These are in the two middle lines of traps (Set B and C). The reason anything survived here at all is because the roclc bar, causeway and traps upstream break the force of the cun·ent. For the same reason, these walls will probably stay much the same as they are now. Perhaps the most serious threat to the walls is vandalism, where rocks are intentionally or unintentionally knocked about. To conClude, the walls have probably reached a fairly stable stage of collapse. ·. ｾﾷ Ｌ＠ 78 The rate of collapse change could be worked out by taking a new set of lowlevel air photos and comparing them to the 1980 run (and doing this at 5-10 year intervals in the future)·. Looking at 1l1e Fisheries on the ground today, there seems to have been relatively little change since 1980. The do nothing option is the easiest, is in keeping with the continuing history of the Fisheries as an abandoned ruin, but may result in the further loss of the surviving structures at some 1ime in the future . . 5.3 Option 2. Stabilise the structures as they are now The walls and traps are very different from how ｴ ｨ Ｇ ｾ ｊＧ＠ were in the early 1900s, · as shown in Mullen's survey and in the historic photographs. Some t1·aps and walls have disappeared, some are now just piles of rock in a place where the 1906 map shows a trap, some may be undemeath silt banks, and a very few still look something like the 1906 structures. An attempt to stabilise the Fisheries as they are today could be applied only to the few walls that show some original form. There are several things that need to be considered. · 1. How would this be done? The walls are collapsed piles of rock on a sandcovered rock bar in a fast flowing river that regularly floods. The current is fast ｾ＠ because the rock outcrop at this ｰｯｩｮｴ keeps the tiver in a narrow chaiU1el. Today the main thlng disturbing the remaining walls is the river itself. To cut down further water erosion, eifuer the walls could be strengthened or the water pressure reduced. Reducing the water pressure at one point (eifuer by diversion channels, walls, barriers etc) would just move it somewhere else, with the risk of unintended increased erosion there. · It is difficult to see how the existing walls could be easily strengthened · · artificially. Collapse over the years has already brought them to a naturally stable configuration. On the assumption that future erosion i,c; most likely at flood peaks, when a lot of water is forced tlrrough the narrow channel at the Fisheries, any structures to control water (concrete or steel barriers or water diversions) or stabilise rock mounds (concrete and steel?) would need to cater for this event. The result would probably be large, and very visible. If so, this would have a big intpact on tl1e natunll appearance of the river bed and the surviving wall<::. Technical engineering advice would be needed about how to minimise water pressure or strengthen the walls. On past experience · however, attempts to interfere in natural systems often don't work or cause more damage than they prevent. 2. Would stabilisation be appropriate? There is nofuing special about the . current status of the Fisheries. It is just one step in the long phase of decay since the Fisheries stopped being used in the last century. Conclusion: An attempt at stabilisation at this point in time would be not in keeping with the nature of the Fisheries, 79 would be teclmically difficult and might not be successful, resulting m unanticipated damage to the surviving structure. 5.4 Option 3 Restoration or Reconstruction of the 'Fisheries Restoration 1 i ' ! Restoration means returning a place to a known earlier state, by reassembling the original material but not adding ·anything new. To do this it is necessary to (a) know . enough about the earlier state and (bf have enough of the original material to use. (a) The only past records of the Fisheries which show any details are the 1906 map by Mullen and the historic photos taken at an unlmown date, but probabty be1ween 1890 and 1910. Restoration could only be done to this period. (b) .\Valls and rocks only survive in the centre of the Fisheries, in parts of sets B and C. So restoration could only apply to patts of these lines of traps. The other two sets - A, near the weir, and D, the furthest downstream cannot be restored because m:ost of the rocks have gone. Reconstruction Reconstruction means returning a place as nearly as possible to a laiown earlier . stage, but involves using new materials. Again, it would only be possible to reconstruct parts 'of the walls to the stage of the 1906 map. Reconstruction would limited by the . amount of loose rocks still in the river (and not part of any original walls) only these rocks should be lised. The problem is that the rocks in the river are rounded due to being rolled by water. Similar rounded rocks of the same stone will be very hard to find because of the rarity of rock outcrops · in the Darling and Barwon Rivers. If uru·ounded rocks from · nearby quarries were used, the resulting walls would look different from the original traps because of the different shape of the rocks and the different way they would fit together. It must be realised that any restored or reconstructed wall is not going to be totally stable, they will immediately begin to change under the same natural pressures. Restoration Technique It is not possible to restore the existing walls by simply repairing them, that is, adding a few stones to the existing structure. This is because many of the walls have collapsed from below - rocks have washed or been pulled out of lower layers, undemllning the upper layers. The walls have sunk and spread. To ensure a reasonably stable construction, the walls will need to be taken- apart and rebuilt frpm the bottom up, in the same place and using the same rocks. On the 1980 air photos and on the ground, it is possible to see that scatters of loose rock are concentrated near and obviously derive from specific walls. These rocks can be ·marked out as coming from a specific wall and so used to rebuild it. ' i 80 The best survJ.vmg walls are not continuous. Some bits · are in fair condition, other bits are totally broken down. So even for the best preselVed traps, rebuilding may require both restoration and reconstruction. For future best chance of stability, it will be ,important to rebuild whole traps or combinations of traps, whose walls can be mutually supporting, rather than just repair or restore isolated bits and pieces of walls. Reconstruction Technique Total reconstruction is technically less of a problem because there are no original bits of walls to disturb. Titere are two situations where total . reconstruction would apply - where there is just a pile or scatter of rocks on the 1iver bed, but no remaining structure to work with, and where there · is absolutely nothing left. · In both cases the traps would have to be built from scratch using the 1906 map · and the historic photos as a guide to location and · shape. Reconstruction would be based on the better surviving walls. Is restoration or reconstruction acceptable on heritage grounds'? the Fisheries probably changed tlrrough time as it was maintained, since change and rebuilding was characteristic of the Fisheries; Because of · this restoration or reconstruction is acceptable as a method of conserving the site, as long as this is done in a way that is consistent with the surviving structures. The current · restoration proposal was · initiated as part of the Cultural Museum development in Brewarrina. The · motivation is not to return the Fisheries to its original use, but to utilise it for interpretative and educational purposes. · How much to restore or reconstruct? There are two fa.ct:ors to consider: heritage significance and time and money. Because of the uniqueness of the site, special care must be taken with any restoration or reconstruction work. The unusual location of the site, in a river, and the lack of experience. with and examples of conse1vatimi. work on similar sites makes any restoration or reconstruction of the Fisheries something of an experiment. The significance of the Fishe1ies lies in its importance to Aboriginal people as a record of past ways of living, and in its · demonstration of Aboriginal skills and knowledge about the behaviour of the . river system and the biology of fish. Because of this it would be best to start with the reconstruction of an area where the original traps have been totally lost. Experimental work can be done here, and pulled down and redone if necessary, without affecting the sun-riving miginal structures. Its significance does not reside in the actual fabric of the construction. In this it is different from a European building whose significance may relates t:o the qufility of it<> style or materials, or to its ar4hit:ect or its inhabitants. The fabric of None of the original walls should be .touched until experience is gained in dry stone walling, and a greater understanding of the structures has been gained. This rules out restoration as a first step. 81 .In practical terms, the amount of work possible depends on the money available. At 1he moment it . is not possible to estimate exactly what will be involved in rebuilding any section of the traps, because of the lack of past experience wi1h any sites like 1he Fisheries, and the technical difficulties of working in a river bed. · 5.5 Technical ａｾｰ･｣ｴｳ＠ of Dry Stone Construction by Nathan Perkins Dry stone walling The Brewanina Fisheries were built from local stone using dry stone techniques. The essence of dry stone walling is to fit stones together in such·a way as to form a structure held together by gravity alone. In its purest form, dry . stone walling requires using stone in its natural. unworked form. i i A trial construction on dry land will help estimate 1he time, workface and so the funds needed. In the river other things need to be considered. Working in river can only be done at low river levels., Even at low levels, 1he river rises and falls unpredictabJy and even a rise of 10-20 em overnight could halt work Dry stone walling is one .of the oldest forn1S of construction known. It can be used to build vety simple stmctures such as retaining walls for terracing or it can be used to constn1ct elaborate freestanding walls for dwellings and shelter. The technique of dry stone walling was used by Aborigines of .the Barwon River to construct a network of complex and sophisticated fish traps at Brewanma. The nature of dry stone walling requires a very practical, hand-on approach to learning and is best taught through ·example and oral description. · In tem1s of passmg down knowledge this can be both a strength and a weakness. Unfortunately in the case of the Brewarrina Fisheries this became a wealmess as the Ngemba people were dispossessed with the arrival of the whites. As is similarly the case in other ·-parts of the world, .there are no longer any indigenous people who have the technical knowledge .and skills to build or repair the dry stone walls which form the Fisheries at Brewarrina. · Dty stone construction techniques are fundamentally the same everywhere in the world. In countries such as Great Britain and France the tradition and technique of dry stone walling have .been ·kept alive and are still taught through apprenticeships and training offered by experienced craftsmen. By employing the services of such peopie in the restoration of the Brewanina Fisheries, 1he craft of dry stone walling ·could be relearnt by the Aboriginal people now living in Brewarrina. This would give them an opportunity to preserve and protect their own heritage. A Restor.ttion or Reconstruction . Programme . The following section outlines the considerations, steps and equipment that would be needed for a restoration or reconstruction programme. 82 Timing Preliminary Training Essentially, it must be recognised that any construction work on the Fisheries can only take place when the river levels are low enough to provide good access to the lower parts of the walls. Any attempt to work on the walls while the water levels are still high may result in substandard wod(, which would lead to likely future collapse of these walls. The fact that the Fisheries are built in the Barwon River presents a less than ideal environment for teaching the techniques of · .dry . stone walling. Therefore, in an effort to create the best possible teaching environinent, a preliminary training class should be conducted on land. This will also minimise the risk of damaging the Fisheries during the training stage. Preliminary clean-lip An essential first step before ·any work, restoration or reconstruction, can begin in the river, is a total clean-up of the river bed and banks along the length of · the Fisheries. All rubbish, tyres, but concrete, bticks, bits of ｭ･ｴ｡ｾ＠ especially broken glass must be removed. This is necessary to provide a safe working environment both in the river and during access to the banks. It will not he possible to work safely in the liver, handling rocks and so on, until the mbbish is removed. A second reason is to clear the river bed for construction. When a wall is reconstructed, it will need to be taken apart and the rocks stacked nearby on the bed. Large clean working areas are going . to be needed · around any reconstruction site. Last, the whole appearance of the Fisheries will be improved by the cleanup. The banks up to at last 50 m from the river edge should also be cleaned-up to prevent this mbbish from being washed into the river later. This should be seen as a basic part of any restoration program, with the aim of restoring the banks to something like their pre-European condition. · With only one teacher, the class size should be limited to six people. They would be expected to spend a minimum . of a week building a practice wall on land to the same specifications as those of the Fisheries. This would involve mostly practical worl(, with a small amount of theory. The practice wall can be -left in position so visitors can see an example of the Fisheries close-up and even at times when the river level is high. Although any type of rock would be suitable for the practite wall, a type similar to that used in the Fisheries would be best. Requirements 1. A flat site (minimum of 15m x 15m) with access for vehicles to deliver stone. 2. Approximately ten tonnes of stone (1 0 ute loads), ranging in size from 1Ocm to 90 em. 3. Solid footware and gloves 4. Two crowbars 5. 5m tape measures (3) 6. 20m tape measure (1) 7. String lines (2) 8. Timber frames (to be provided by instructor) 9. First aid kit 83 Work team Work programme A team -of six people, working in pairs is suggested. .Six people, that is, three two-man teams, working in the river at any one time should be the maximum, in order to keep track of what is happening. The two-man teams should switch around so each of the six gains the experience of working with range of people. In this way, the best combinations of skills can be found. There could be a backup group of people who could step into the team if · members are ill or away. . With the preliminary training completed, work could corrunence in the river. The six steps in the constmction process of any seqt:ion of the Fisheries are ·as follows: a · It is essential that one person acts as foreman during the work. This person should be one of the team of six so that he fully understands the technical problems involved in building the walls and working in the water. Continuity is also essential, especially if the people in the six-person team change, so that at least one person works on a .section of wall from start to finish. The foreman must be a person who is prepared to stay with the team during the building of a full section or more. ! . A Works Adviser. should also · be appointed to act as a guide to the team and the foreman. This person does not · necessarily need to be involved with the actual building, but would need to have a god worlcing knowledge o:( the dry stone building process. He should take part in the practice wall building. The Works Adviser's role is to take an overview of the project, to arbitrate in cases of disagreement between the team members, and possibly to be responsible for the fmal inspection of each section of the building. This person could be a well-respected older member of the community, and should be prepared to stay with the project during the full rebuilding process. Step 1 Decide on an area. Decide on which section of the Fisheries should be worked on. Work should. proceed in small stages, so an area no larger than about 5 by·s metres should be worked on at any one time. Mark this area on a large version of the computer map of the Fisheries. Within the area marked there may be only a scatter · of loose stones, .or some collapsed pieces of wall and a scatter of loose stones. Only the stones within this area should be used. Before any work starts, photographs should be taken of .the area in its original state. St.ep 2 Estah/islz a ·working zo1te The working zone will include t.wo parts: the length of the wall to be restored and an area around tl'ri.s wall in which stone could be gathered for ·the construction of the wall. The working · zone would be clearly defined with markers before any work commenced. All work on this section would be restricted to the marked out area. Step 3 Sort sttm.e This task would . initially require strict supervision. If an original wall is to be . ｲｾＺｴｳｯ･､Ｌ＠ it would frrst have to be demolished and stone removed in order to return to a solid point from which to begin the rebuilding process. The stone scattered on the river bed within the · working zone would also be sorted into different sizes. This would be done. in 84 the river, with different size stones grouped together rough1y .in lines, to niake access easy during construction. stone would be moved to the next · working area. Requirements Step 4 Defow the lute ojtlte wall By referring to the maps and survey reports contained in this consetvat:ion plan it should be possible to mark out the line of the wall to be rebuilt. In· some cases this might simply be a matter of building up from existing foundations. In other . cases it might require the se11ing. out · of an entirely new wall. This can be done with posts and string lines, or by constructing a (temporary) timber frame. , Step 5 Rebuild ·wall When the stones are sorted into sizes, and the building position marked out by string line or timber frame. building can commence. The techniques used would be those learnt during the practice exercise on dry land. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Solid footwear and gloves Crowbars Sm Tape measures (3) 20m Tape measure (1) String lines (12) Sandbags (200) Floating buoys (20) Ｘｾ＠ lOOm Coloured nylon rope (2) 9. Pained marker pegs (20) 10. Shovels (3) 11. Polaroid camera (l) 12. First aid kit. Production Taking into account the various states of the Fishery walls, as well as working conditions in the river, each two man . team could be expected to be able to build an average of seven lineal metres of'dry stone wall per week, on the basis of an eight hour day. Step 6 Final i.nspection Recording the new work Once the planned wall has been rebuilt, a final inspection would be needed · before moving onto another section. This process of quality control would look at structura} soundness of the wall, as well as good appearance. It may need more than one go to build a wall successfully in the river. The workers should expect to have to demolish part of their construction and start again. At · the , end of the reconstmction programme, the newly built walls should be surveyed and a new map produced of 1hose sections of the Fisheries. This will act as a record of the building programme and also as a basis for monitoring the stability of the work and carrymg out future maintenance. St.ep 7 C/.ea11up :Monitoring and maintenance \Vhen the was wall completed and inspected, the working zone will need a site cleanup. Timber frames and tools and rubbish would be removed from the area. Some permanent marker posts should be left to identify the area of the modern construction. Any left over One of the many advantages of a dry stone wall is 1hat it can be easily repaired with a minimum of expense . and fuss once one knows how. The greatest input is siinply labour. 85 There is no bonding agent, such as mortar, in a dry stone wall therefore it must rely solely on gravity and the placement of stones to keep it standing. Therefore, with time and wear, every dry stone wall needs a little maintenance at some stage in its life. Bearing this in mind, the newly built walls at the Brewarrina Fisheries will time. need to be maintained ｯｶｾｲ＠ It is reconmtended that the walls be checked after each high river level or flood. The state of 1he new walls should be marked on a plan, and kept as an ongoing record. A maintenance program camiot be specified in detail now, but shou]d be developed over time ·as the stability of the walls becomes lmown. 5.6 Developing a Conservation Policy .... i :. l 1 A Consexvation Policy consists of recommendations and guidelines for what should be done and how. The aim of the recommendations is to ensure that the significance of the site is not lost or "diminished by future actions (or neglect). identified in the historic photographs. The appearance of the Fisheries in 1heir visual setting would be quite different if the north bank was developed and had buildings, roads, docks, arid little · vegetation. This would detract from the significance of the site. In developing a Conservation Policy, it is necessary to consider the both the requirements, positive things 1hat must be done, and 1he constraints, the limits ·that need to be piaced on future actions to avoid loss of significance. Constraints include 1he need to complete the ·mapping _of 1he Fisheries and any oilier work needed before any restoration or reconstruction begins, as wen as · to set up recording and monitoring · procedures. The next section sets out the recommendations proposed for the futun:: of the Fisheries. One requirement . for example is the need to determine the boundaries of the · heritage place, that is, to define a conservation precinct. . So far, the discussion of the Fisheries has concentrated on the stone structures in the river. However, these can be affected not only by what is happening in the river, such as erosion by the water flow, or the removal of rocks, but also hy what happens on the banks, such as loss of vegetation and mcreased erosion, building of retaining walls and dumping of rubbish. For example, from the town side, the Fi<;;heries can be appreciated in an almost natural setting. Most of the trees on the north bank have been there for at ]east 100 years, since they can be 86 6 RECOMMENDATIONS 6.1 l\1apping and Monitoring This Conservation Plan is limited by the incomplete survey and the lack of a current set of air photographs. The 1993 survey has been used to rectify 19&0 air photographs. This gives an fair impression'offue entire system but because the amount of change over the last 14 years is unknown, fue resulting air photograph is unreliable as a record of the Fisheries in. 1994. The sur\!ey needs -to be completed and new air photographs made as a basis for bofu conservation work and future monitoring. · The report demonstrates the value of comparing fue historic and modern photographs. However, the 1991 photographs are basically snap-shots and only approximate the historic ones. A series of modern photographs taken by a professional photographer is needed. Because there have been very few studies of the Fisheries, there is no good record of 1he rate of breakdown of fue walls due to floods. The modern mapping and photography recommended will provide a base-line for future monitoring. To work out whether changes . are still occurring, it will be necessary to repeat the photographs and mapping in the future. This is also necessary to assess whefuer new reconstructions are stable. . RECOMMENDATION 1 MAPPING The mapping project should be completed as a high priority. This will require a field trip to the Fisheries at a tin1e of low water level to add tl1e lower walls and. rocks to the existing smvey. RECOl\tfMENDATION 2 AIR PHOTOGRAPHY A new set of air photographs should be nm as soon as possible. For best results this should be done at the same time as the survey is competed, so the ground survey and the air photographs are contemporary. RECO:M.M ENDATION 3 GROUND PHOTOGRAPHY Three sets of new ground ·photographs should be made. These should be done m conjunction with the surveying and air photography: 1. Modern photographs fi·om the same location and perspectives as the historic ones. 2. A full panoramic record of the traps from bofu the north and south banks. 3. Detailed close-up photographs of each surviving wall. These should be made photogrammetrically i.e. with correct scaling. 87 RECOMMENDATION 4 FUTURE MONITORING A long term plan for_ monitoring should be set up now. This means that baseline maps of the Fisheries must be completed now, and repeats planned for in the future. When any reconstruction is completed it must be photographed and mapped in the same way as the surviving structures. If the mapping and photographs are completed in 1994/5, it is recommended that these be repeated in five years time, in 1999/2000. II ! J I 6.2 Restoration and Reconstruction Restoration means returning a place to a known earlier state, by reassembling the original material but not adding anything new. To do this it is necessary to (a) know enough about the earlier state and (b) have enough of the originiU material to use. True restoration would only be possible for some traps and walls in Sets B and C, where some original walls survive. The problem is that not enough is yet known about the original construction, and full maps and detailed photographs of the surviving walls are not completed. . · Reconstruction means returning a place as neady as possible to a known earlier stage, but involves using new materials. Reconstruction is tl1e only thing tl1at could be done for Sets A and D, where almost no original structure survives. Reconstruction would be based on the historic photographs and the 1906 plan made by Mullen. The Fisheries were built from stones eroded from the roclc bar in the river, which has a very distinct geology (see Appendix 4 ). The rocks are also rounded due to erosion in the river over many thousands of years. To make sure that any reconstructed walls have a similar appearance to the original ones, it is important that the same rocks are used. \. RECOl\1MENDATION S RESTORATION No restoration of any original wall or trap should be done at the present time. This means that the surviving walls in Sets B andC should be left as they are, .including the patts of Set B that may have been rebuilt in the 1970s. · The reasons for this are: 1. The lack of experience in working with this kind of structUre. 2. The incomplete survey and photographic record. 3. Insufficient knowledge of the original construction technique. 4. The heritage value of keeping some parts of the Fisheries in their existing fmm even though they have partly collapsed. 5. To provide the oppo11unity to study the surviving walls in more detail to assist with the reconstmction of other parts of the Fisheries. ( ·I ! 88 RECOMMENDATION 6 RECONSTRUCTION Sets A and D of the Figheries have been totally ､ｩｾｴｵｲ｢･Ｎ＠ Only a very small area that may be original structure can be identified in A, although a lot of rocks are scattered over the river bed. Set A is at the upstream end, and was destroyed by the building of the causeway and weir. Set D is at the downstream end. Reconstruction is recommended as acceptable for Sets A and D. The reasons for this are: 1. No substantial original structure will.be affected. 2. A reconstruction programme could throw some light on original construction techniques. 3. Some parts of these areas are in shallow water, or on higher parts of the rock bar, so the reconstructed walls would be above water and visible for longer times. 4. Because no original construction will be affected, tec.hniques can be experimented with. The reconstluction walls could be knocked down and rebuilt as ofteri as necessary. Mullen's plan should be used as the basis for the layout of the traps to be reconstructed, and the historic photographs used as a basis for the size and positioning ·of rocks. It is essential to keep inmind that the traps in Mullen's plan were drawn in by eye and were not individually mapped, so they are distmted in shape and are not to scale. Also, much destruction had already taken place before 1906 \Vhen the plan was drawn. A modified version ofMullen's plan, to the scale ofthe 1994 computer maps and the rectified 1980 air photographs should be produced as a basis for the shape of any reconstructed traps. RECOMMENDATION 7 ORIGINAL MATERIALS No new rock should be introduced into the river. Only rounded rocks lying loose on the rock bar should be used in the reconstruction of the traps. Loose rocks in Setg B and C should not be used to reconstmct Sets A and D, because these rocks may be needed in the future to restore Sets B and C themselves. An attempt should be made to flnd and recover rocks removed from the Fisheries in the past. RECOM1\1ENDATION 8 RECORDING RECONSTRUCTION Careful records must be kept of the reconstruction process. These should be wri.t ten .notes, sketches and photographs and should record how the levels of rocks were laid, and width, height, orientation and shape of each wall. This is in1p01iant for future monitoring of the stability of the walls, so th<lt any changes due to river currents can be identified. · 89 6.3 Training and Trial Construction Because of the physical problems with working in the river bed, and the Jack of experience in building constructions like · the Fisheries, it is important to run a · training and test programme. 'This should be done on land. There ·are extra benefits in this. The test construction could be kept for its value in education and tourism, especially when the river is high and the Fisheries not visible. The test construction could be iiSed to show the local community what is planned and to demonstrate to the National Parks and Wildlife Service the technique proposed for the reconstruction in the river. · RECOMl\tfENDATION 9 TRIAL CONSTRUCTION Before any work begins in the river, a training programme should be canied out by · building a full-scale model on land,' as described in section 5 of this report. The model should attempt to replicate in both size and shape one of the original traps in the river. Traps D 5 and D6 are possible models, because of the clear close-up photographs available. A record needs to be kept of the steps involved in building the test wall, and any problems. These should form the basis of a set of guidelines for working in the river. 6.4 National Parks and Wildlife Service i l 'l The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service is currently responsible for the protection of Aboriginal Heritage in NSW. The Brewarrina Aboriginal Cultural Museum.needs a pennit from the National Parks and Wildlife Service in order to do any reconstmction or restoration work on the Fisheries. The requirements for a perinit are 1. That the heritage significance of the Fisheries.is not lost. 2. That the project is acceptable to and supported by the Aboriginal community. The policy of NPWS is that the Local Aboriginal Land Council must be consulted by the person or organisation applying for a permit. RECOMMENDATION 10 NP\''S PERMIT The Brewarrina Cultural Heritage Museum should apply to the National Parks and Wildlife Service for a permit to carry out reconstruction work on Sets A and D of the Fisheries. The Museum should invite NPWS heritage staff to inspect the trial trap construction built on land as a step m the permit application process, and to monitor the process of reconstmction. 90 6.5 Education and Tourism The Fisheries have great potential for educa1ion and tourism, as shown by 1he Brewanina Aboriginal Cultural Museum. Unfortunately, they are only visible when the river is low, and because of the collapse or loss of many of 1he traps, it is difficult to work out what was originally there. The excellent historic photographs are ideal for use in a. set of information stgns. RECOMM.ENDATION U INFORMATION SIGNS A set of photometal information signs should be constructed at vantage points along the river bank. Each sign should include an enlargement of one of the historic photographs, a. copy of ｍｵｬｾｮＧｳ＠ plan, with the position of the traps shown in the photograph marked -on · it, and some description of the how the traps were built or uses, based on the historic records. Seven of the Tyrrell Collection photographs are of good enough quality to use. These.signs should be erected a.t the points where the photographs were taken. A walking track should link the signs. A master sign should be erected in the park overlooking the upstream section of the Fisheries, near the weir. This should use the 1980 air photograph, and show the walking.track and the positions of the other signs. 6.6 Fm·ther Studies of the Fisheries !v; 1his report shows, the Fisheries have been neglected over the years, and apart from Dargin's book in 1976, ｶ･Ｑｹｬｩｴｾ＠ has been written about them. There are many studies that could be done to fmd out more about the Fisheti.es and the following are some suggestions. Most of these projects would give results that could be used by the Museurl.l in school educational projects or for future displays. · RECOMMENDATION 12 ABORIGINAL ORAL IDSTORY Although traditional use and repair stopped, Aboriginal people in Brewarrina continued to use the Fisheries. An important project would be to bring together all the me-mories and stories about the Fisheries. This is a project that could be set up by the Museum and perhaps done through the school projects, with children interviewing elder people in the community. 91 RECOl\lll\.ffiNDATION 13 HISTORIC RESEARCH The historic records used in this report are mainly the ones found by Peter Dargin and used in his book. There is ·a need for more research, especially in old newspapers, to locate other historical records and especially photographs ofthe Fisheries. The R.W.Mathews Papers in the National Museum of Australia should also be checked. I. \ RECOl\lll\.ffiNDATION 14 WALL CONS1RUCTION i Further study of the structure and the method of building of the surviving walls is needed. The best surviving walls in Sets C and B should be recorded in detail. This is essential before ﾷ ｡ｾﾥ＠ future restoration of these original walls can be done. RECOl\1MENDA.TION 15 EXCAVATION OF SILT BANKS It is possible that the silt banks have built up over old traps. If so, then some ·original walls may be preserved in good shape under the silt. Careful excavation, using archaeological techniques, should be carried out on one or more of the silt banks to check this. If walls are preserved under the silt, they may give a more accurate idea of original construction methods. RECOl\1MENDATION 16 SITE SURVEY ALONG THE BAR'\\'ON RIVER I l Although there has been a lot of ground disturbance around Brewarrina, Aboriginal campsites can still be found, especially on the north side of the river. Traditionally, . Brewanina was a meeting place, where people from different tribal ·areas came together, and it should be possible to find some record of past occupation. An Aboriginal site survey of the Brewan1na area is reconunended. · RECO:M.M:ENDATION 17 '''HEN AND HOW THE FISHERIES WORKED . It is possible to work out how the Fisheries worked as the river rose and fell, and get an estimate of how regularly the traps would have been exposed. This could be done by compating the historic river height records with the positions of the traps on 1he rock bar. This study could be done by computer modelling. One possible end resu]t could be a cartoon-style video showing the workings ·of the traps as the river fluctuated. ｾ＠ .i I 92 6. 7 Care ofthe Environment of the Fisheries Because of the closeness to town, the Fisheries and the river banks have become badly polluted over the years) with a build-up of rubbish (bottles, t:yres, concrete and rubble). The photographs in this report show that many trees on the banks have disappeared over the last 100 years; many of the trees surviving are very old, and few young saplings are growing, especially on the north bank. The care of the envirorunent of the river banks is as important as conserving the Fisheries. CLEAN-UP AND MAINTENANCE OF THE RECO:Ml\1ENDATION 18 'F ISHERIES ANP RIVER BANKS ._ .., ....: All rubbish should be removed from the Fisheries and the river banks, and future clean-ups should be done regularly. RECOMMENDATION 19 ENVIRONMENfAL REHABILITATION The Brewarrina Aboriginal Cultural Museum should participate with the Shire Council and other community groups to set up a revegetation program along the river banks. CONSERVATION RECOMMENDATION 20 FISHERIES AND RIVER BANKS PLANNING FOR THE The Brewarrina Aboriginal Cultural Museum should participate with the Shire Council, community groups and government departments such as the Department of Consetvation and Land Management, and the Water Resources Commission to set up conservation guidelines for the Fisheries and the river banks. Some suggested guidelines are: banning the removal of rocks from tl1e Fisheries, of tt"ees from witllin sight of the Fisheries and of any further construction in ilie 1iver or on the banks within a certain distance or in sight of the · Fisheries. 93 FIG 18 Diagram showing locations and general directions of historic photographs. Drawing Jeannette Hope. cy "/ ｾｊ＠ l : \ ,..· .... . . : Ｚ ｾ Ｚ ｜＠ ...... ·,:)\·;· ... ｾ＠ C> 0 -- 'l£1 'l£1 t- .\ N ..-( N c ｾ＠ ....... tn l{) t- tl{) \...... ［ｾＺＡＬ＠ ｾ＠ ｟ｬ ＢｾＮｦ ＬＧ Ｎ＠ t. Ａ ＧＢｾ ｜＠ ! ( .... /'\: :.. ; . :' ... .·. ' .·.· ·,.. ..·.. .·:·.=·: ' 94 FIG 19 Diagram showing locations and general directions of following set of 1991 photographs. Drawing Jeannette Hope. 95 Photo 24 View across river from north ban1c, looking towards town, December 1991. Kullur (King Rock) in centre of photo, wall running to the left is probably B8/9. Photograph Jeaimette Hope. Photo 25 View across tiver 11·om south hank at downstremn of system. Note silt,ban1<s and straight rows of rocks left of centre. Rectangular pattem is modem stmcture X2. Photograph Jeannette Hope. Photo 26 View across river il-om n01th bank at upstream end, near weir, in December 1991. Note vegetation on silt banks. Photograph Jemmette Hope . . Photo 27 View of rock outcrops on nmih banl<:11 upstream end, near weir, December 1991. Photograph .Teannetle Hope. · 97 .I I i Photo 28 Close-up of collapsed walls in Set C, looking across river from south, December 1991. Photograph Jeannette Hope. Photo 29 Peter Dargin indicating depth ohvall below water level. December 1991. Photograph Jeannette Hope. 98 Photo 30 View across river from south, si?-owing surviving \Valls of Set C, December 1991. Photograph Jeannette Hope. Photo 31 Close up of W<llls in Photo 30, December 1991. Photograph .Teatmette Hope. 99 Photo 32 View across tiver from south, showing walls in Set B, December 1991. Straight wall in centre left, B8/9, is same as that shown in Photo 24. Photograph Jeannette Hope . . I Pholo 33 Ｈｾｊｯｳ･Ｍｵｰ＠ of \V:tlJs in Photo 32, December 1991. Ph olograph .Jeanne1t e Hope. lV\J Photo 34 Silt bank on north bank, December 1991. Photograph Jeaime1te Hope. Photo 35 Peter Dargin standing on silt bank, December 1991. Trus is close to the position of silt hank used hy Mullen as central point for his 1906 survey. Photograph .lea1mette Hope. DASETT LIBRARY 136 ' - ﾷ ｬｾ＠ AE00'2904 II' REFERENCEs· ABBOTT, \V.E.1881 Notes of ajoumey on the Darling. No publisher. Gll.,MORE; M. 1934 Old. days, old wco's. Sydney; Angus & Roberston. ｃｏｎａｬｾ＠ G. and A. JONES 1983 Aerial archaeology in Australia. Aeriai Archaeolob:T/9-23. COUTTS, P., R.K.FRANK and P.HUGHES 1978 Aboriginal engineers ofthe Western Disiri.pt, Victoria. Records qfthe Victorian Archaeological Survey 7:1-47. DARGIN, P. 1976 Aboriginal Fisheries qfthe Darling-Barwon Rivers. Bre,vani.na:Brewarrina Historical Socie1y. DUNN, B. 1991 Angling in Australia its history and writings. David Ell Press, Sydney LANGLOH PARKER, K. 1905 The Euahlayi Tribe. A study of Aboriginal life in Australia. Archibald Constable and Co. Ltd. London \. , ｾＭ LOURANDOS, H. 1980 Change or stability? ｈｹ､ｲ｡ｾｬｩ｣ｳＬ＠ hunter-gatherers and population in: temperate Australia. World Archaeology 11:245-266. ' .,.... · MATHEWS, R.H. 1903 Aboriginal fisheries at Brewarrina. Journal of the Royal Society . ofNSW. 37:146-'56. I\-1ATB:EWS, R.H. 1907Notes on the Aborigines o.fNew South FVales. Government ｐｲｩｮｴ･ＱｾＬ＠ Sydney. RANDELL, W.R.1861 Voyage up 1he DarEng and Baiwon. Journal of the Royal _Geographical Society (London) .31:145-8. STURT, C. 1834 Two expeditions into the inte1·ior of Southern Australia. 2 Vols. London IVRIGHT, D. 1980 King Cl;yde c?f Brewarrina. Dubbo:Development and Advisory Publications. .( 109 APPENDIX 3 HISTORIC PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE FISHERIES by Jeannette Hope · There are three main sources of ｯｬｾ＠ photographs of the Brewarrina Fisheries: Tyrrell Collection, Mitchell Library and Henry . King. There are also several miscellaneous photographs with no known source. Tyrrell Collection ,. The Tyrrell Collection consists of 8000 negatives of photographs from the st:u,dios of C.H. Keny and Co. The name "Tyrrell Collection" has been retained by the current owner, the .NSW Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (MAAS);, and ·refers to the earlier owner of the collection, Tyrrell's Bookshop. Tyrrell's sold the collection to Frank Packer's Consolidated Press in about 1980, Consolidated Press made prints of 2000 of the original plates, and made new negatives from these. They then made print sets of these 2000 · and donated them to various libraries in Australia, kept the 2000 new negatives, and donated the original 8000 negatives (and possibly an earlier set of prints) to the MAAS. I \ Bill Tyrrell commented that Consolidated Press had stamped the negatives/prints with their logo; if this is so it presumably was done to the copied negatives, not the originals. Many of the pictures :were published in 1he Women's Weekly in the early 1980s. \ . The library deposit sets were accompanied by a printed catalogue, entitled Tyrrell Collection- Photographic prints from the studios of Charles Kerry and Henry King, 1985, Donated by Australian Consolidated Press, Sydney. In the section Aborigines, Section 75, the catalogue lists: 507 Aboriginal Fisheries, Darling River. This is one of the nine photographs of the Fisheries in the MAAS collection. The photos in the Tyrrell Collection fall into thiee categories: at1ributed to Kerry, attributed to Henry King, and unattributed. The pictures of the Brewarrina Fisheries are ·unattributed. Bill Tyrrell suggested that Kerry himself had taken 1he photos while on a trip photographing artesian wells. In 1he 1890's, Kerry himself made a series of photos of a bora ceremony held near the Macquarie Marshes, and wrote a note about this in Journal of the Royal Society ofNSW in 1899. The volumes of prints in the MAAS are annotated as follows: "They (the photos) are arranged in numerical sequence in series order, as numbered by the studio. At the top ·of the page are two numbers ( eg. 111111) is the number allocated to each picture when the collection was owned by Tyrrell's Bookshop. The second, beneath the first (eg. 111) is a studio number allocated by Heruy King. 'Vhen enquiring, please quote both numbers." There are nine· photos of the Brewarrina Fisheries, in Volume 35 of the Tyrrell Collection. Most ofthese were included in Dargin1976. The photos used in this report are copies of the prints Dargin bought from Tyrrell in the early 1970's before ACP Ｎ＠ This set bought by Dargin is no longer complete, as indicated acquired the ｣ｯｬ･ｾｩｮ i . I 110 below. The other photowaphs included are also from copies in Dargin's possession, and with some exceptions, used in the 1976 book Cat. No. 75/502 Close up of section of stone walls shown in panoramic view in 75/512. Not included inDargin 1976; no print in Dargin's set. Cat No. 75/504 View across river, with sign-posted tree. Page 47 in Dargin 1976. One print in Dargin's set. Cat. No. 75/505 and 75/510 Close up of fish trap. These look identi.cal, but may be different negatives. There seem to be very slight differences in foam patterns. Page 40 in Dargin 1976. One print in Dargin's set. Cat.No. 75/507 Aborigillal boys fishing. Page 44 in Dargi.n 1976. .Print missing from Dargin's set. Cat.No.75/508 View from Dnerraginni to Kirragurra. Page 48 in Dargin 1976, One print in Dargin's set. Cat. No. 75/509 Looking to Gurrungga from Dnenanginni. Page 42 in Dargin 1976. One print in Dargin's set. Cat.No.75/510 Close up off1Sh trap. See 75/505. Cat.No. 75/511 View across river, people sitting on opposite bank. Not included in Dargin 1976. Two prints in Dargin's set. Cat.No.75/512 View of stone structures. Page 41 in Dargin 1976. Two prints in . Dargin's set. :Mitchell Library There are three prints in Dargin's set sourced to the Ivfitchell Library. These are poor quali1y photos compared to those in the Tyrrell Collection; none were used in Dargin 1976. H. King, Sydney There are two photos with printed titles, by I-I. King, Sydney, which are apparently not from the Tyrrell Collection. 1. Aborigina.l Fisheries, Darling River, N.S.W. 1387. H.King, Syd. Man standing in close up fish trap. Page 35 in Dargin 1976, no print in Dargin's set. 2. No. 1426 Aboriginal Fisheries, Darling River, N.S.W. H.King, Sydney. View across river (dark), bank slope in foreground. Not in Dargin 1976, one print in Dargin's set. 111 Miscellaneous The following photographs have no . lmown source. Only the first two have been included in this report. 1. View of Fisheries looking ｵｰｳｴｲ･ｾ＠ paddle boats in background. Print labelled "Fisheries Brewanina W.Falk". Not used in Dargin 1976, one print in Dargin's set. 2. View across river, three people on rocks, umbrella in foreground. Print labelled "Blacks' Fisheries on the Darling." Not used in Dargin 1976, one print in Dargin's set. 3. Pontoon ·bridge, Fisheries in backgrmmd, 1872. Page 60 in Dargin, no print in Dargin's set. 4. The Wandering Jew at Brewarrina, Fisheries in background. Page 63 in Dargin 1976, no print in Dargin's set. 5. View up river, three groups of Aborigines on bank. Framed print in Brewanina Museum. i' i . ; i . \ ' 112 APPENDIX 4 THE GEOLOGY OF THE FISHERIES By George Gibbons The Fisheries are located on a relatively straight stretch of the Barwon River) where the river is rocky. This is rare in this part of the main Darling River system. The bed ｯｦｾｨ･＠ straight course forms the southern section of a large bend in the river. The only geologically old rocks around Brewarrina are the Red Hill granite and the rocks along the Barwon at the fish traps and West Brewarrina. The western part of this stretch contains slaty rocks (spotted schists). These are old rocks which were once mud but have been greatly changed by first being deeply buried in the earth and and ｳ｡ｮｾ＠ then re-exposed as the mountains on top were worn away by ancient rivers. fast-flowing streams ran tlu·ough wearing away \Vhen the area had become almost ｦｬ｡ｾ＠ the ground further but leaving occasional high points like Red Hill. One of these streams ran right a.cross the present fish trap area, depositing gravels and sandy bars in its bed. Before the present course of 1he Darling River cut ｴｨｲｯｾ＠ this was the geology of the and the gravels and sands of the old fish traps area: the slaty rocks at the westem ･ｮｾ＠ river channel at the eastern ･ｮ､ｾ＠ The ground surface was ｦｬ｡ｾ＠ and a vecy hard, level formed a short distance below the surface. silcrete layer) one or two metres ｴｨｩ｣ｾ＠ When eventually the Darling River·took up its present course, the silcrete, the hardened so they . gravels, and the slaty rocks were more resistant than the rocks ､ｯｷｮｳｴｲ･ｾ＠ fonned a large shelf in the river. There would have been a waterfall at the lower end at one stage) but the edge of this wore back to fom1 a sequence of rapids. The mshing water broke the bedrock into boulders, but did not have enough force to carry them away. The result was a rocky stretch of river with fast-flowing, shallow water and plenty of cobbles and boulders, over which the fish in the river would pass in large numbers at different times. The Aboriginal people·found here all the .conditions and materials they needed to organise an engineering project :- the building of the Fisheries. 113 FIG 20 Development of rock bar at Brewanina. Drawing George Gibbons. 1. Sand and gravel fill river valley cut in eroded plain over older rocks. i oc ..."': ... ｾＭ＠ lj • ｾ＠ s s 2. Hard silcrete layer fonns and gravels harden. I I I I i ' ｴ＿ｩ･ｧ［ Ｎ ｴｾ＠ ｾ＠ 1 ! ｾｉ＠ I \ s I 1 I, I\ 1 A 0 . 4. Bar wears down to stony bed, forming shallow rapids. King Rock Queen Rock eb • \ . \ 3. Flat bar develops in river, with falls at end. Geology.visible in south bank g:: Weir 114 APPENDIX 5 DESCRIPTION OF SOME SURVIVING TRAPS AND WALLS By Gacy Vines The following specific examples give an idea of the range of types of construction and the reasons for their interpretation as original or modem. 1 Structures of Aboriginal Construction Trap C6 and Linking Wall C5-6 This is a well preserved trap with evidence of yards and connecting wall. It is probably . the most intact individual trap in the Fisheries. From a .comparison of the early photographs and an assessment of the river heights it would appear that the walls are at · least in part intact to their original height. The weathered nature of the upper stones, · and their consistent height (about 90 em above the river bed) also suggest that this is an intact portion of the traps. The depth of water in the enclosure on the day of inspection was fairly consistent at around 50cm. The wall can1e to a maximum of 40 em above this at several places. The downstream sides of the walls have a batter of about 50 degrees, while the upstream sides are ahnost vertical. All the walls of the trap are about one meter wide at the base. The sketch plan of the northern side of this trap (Fig. · 16) shows the way the stones in this section of wall have been hiid. The wall appears to have some features of traditional dry-stone wall construction, including a double line of large boulders forming the base witl1 a fill of smaller stones. The base stones ate fairly irregular in size but more 1han half are in the 35-50 em range. Smaller stones are ]aid between and on top of these, ranging in size between 20-45cm. ·Several long . stones seem to nm tlu·ough the wall from one side to the other. If tllis is the case they may have served as "through stones" in the manner of dry-stone walling. A large amount of smaller stone in the 15-25cm range is incorporated in this middle section although less has been used on the upstream wall of the trap. The topmost stones are larger, generally 40-50 em diameter and although some are missing, they seem to have fom1ed a single row. Where they survive to what is assumed to be the original height (from the weathering of the upper surface) they are a consistent 85-90 em above the floor of the trap. By comparing this trap with the historic photographs it appears that the trap would still function with a water level substantially higher than it was iri December 199i, probably within 20 em ofthe top of the stones. The yards of this trap are clearly visible on the north side and the west on the downstream side. They are about 1 m wide and range from 15-30 em deep. The ·shallowest part is at the e:A'i:teme downstream .end. The shallowness of this section may be a result of having two walls vecy close together. Because this protects the area from cmTents, the water is stiller, so silt builds up faster. The result is a narrow, shallow place where fish are easily speared or caught iri hand nets. 115 . A connecting wall joins the .downstream end of these yards to the next trap in the system. This connecting wall is similar ·in fmm but slightly more substantial than ·the wall of the trap, and is parallel to the line of the river current; its preservation is probably due to this alignment. It cmves away slightly on the upstream side fanning a r "V". 2 Structures of Probable Aboriginal Construction Part of Trap A4 · This is a crescent of large rocks on 1he edge of an area of bedrock. It is probably a remnant of an original trap. Severa! lruge rocks (40-SOcm diameter) are arranged along the ｾ､ｧ･＠ of bedrock outcrop. The rock on the southern edge of the group is adjacent to a high part of the bed rock but has toppled over the edge of the outcrop, which has a fall of about 30-40 em on 1he downstream side. Other small rocks are strewn in the vicinity and appear wedged in at the base of the boulders. While these rocks do not appear to be part of any trap shown on Mullen's plan, their alignment and location match others that are definitely original. ·It is.unlikely that loose boulders would naturally collect on 1he edge of such an outcrop since this would be an area of greatest water current However, they may have been moved here as part of the causeway, or as a stack for collection. Part of Trap B7 \ . ! This is a long wall, originally part of a trap system and connecting wall Mullen's plan shows a fish trap at this location. It is recognisable as such on Mullen's plan by the · presence of the gate on the downstream wall, but it does not match the general shape of the rest of the fish traps. Matthews' plan differs slightly, showing a series of small enclosures divided by short cross walls. Insufficient detail or accuracy in these plans makes it difficult to work out this section. However, the rocks of the surviving structure appear to be more weathered . than either 1hose of trap B9 and linking wall WB8-9 or the clearly modem features Xl andX2. The detail of construCtion is similar to trap C6. Rocks are .tightly placed, often with their length in to the wall rather than along it, providing greater strength and knitting the courses together. Larger stones are placed on the top (like coping stones on a dry stone -wall) and give greater stability to the structure. Linki72g Wall C3-4 This is a substantial connecting wall which cmves downstream between traps C3 and C4. It has survived better than other connecting walls which run across the current, probably because it has become a point of siltation. Silt has accumulated over a substantial part of the walls in this area and has preserved features lost elsewhere. The rocks of this wall are fairly regular in size !anging from 3 5-50 em in diameter. Some 116 large stones may be pait of the original top course and suggest that this section operated at similar river heights to trap C6. ' Linking Wall C2-3 This can be matched with a connecting wall on Mullen's plan, but the large quantities of rocks forming a shallow floor suggest that it may be a remnant_ of an older, more complex section of traps. Downstream of the surviving section of wall (which is similar · in form to linking wall C3-4) is a large silt bank close to the position of the "knoll of earth" on Mullen's plan. This appears to be a location where siltation commonly occurs and the presence of the rocks may be a natural feature. However, the silt may have built up at this point on an earlier system of traps. Mullen's plan notes old and presumably no longer use:d traps in two places, as well as other short disconnected sections of wall probably related to earlier trap systems. Part ofTrap CJ This is possibly the remnant of a trap with large rocks marking the location of walls, but with the smaller stones displaced. Little of the trap can be seen on the ground but comparison between aerial photographs and the Mullen's plan shows a reasonable fit between- the distribution of rocks and the northernmost of the traps in this section of the river. Linking Wall C ]-river bank This is a small connecting wall between trap Cl and a large rock on the bank The rock in the bank provides a fixed point for this connecting wall which conesponds with the northernmost part of this section of the fish traps on Mullen's plan. The upper stones have been dislodged but a scatter of stones downstream of the wall are probably the remains of the upper layer. Currents appear to be slow in· this section and the smaller stones (25-30cm) would probably have been sufficient to withstand the current. Yards B5a and B5b This is a jumble of boulders which are probably the remains of a yard. The large concentration and general linear distribution suggests that this was probably the long "yards" marked by Mullen just north of the channel. While the water is fairly deep here, this section of stone wall forms a quite shallow basin; almost dry at the time of inspection. It would be necessary for ihe river to be higher for the traps at this point to be operative. Although the original form of the yards can no .longer be seen, the quantity and size of the rocks are sinlilar to ｴｨｾｳ･＠ at yard C3a. The sinuous connecting wall linking these yards to the other traps in this system can still be seen on the aerial photographs. The walls are still about 50 em high although they were mostly submerged at the time of inspection and a considerable amount of stone appears to have been dislodged and scattered on the downst:rean1 side of the walL The· water ·depth on the upstream side in December 1991 was generally over 50 em while that on the downstream side was only about 25cm. 117 YardC3a ·l These well preserved renmants of yards adjacent to linking wall WC2-3 again reflect the concentration of rocks resulting from substantial structures. Here 1he yards are substantially intact al1hough the trap enclosure with .which they must have been coimected can only be traced fi"om a very random scatter of ·stones. The form of the remaining struc1nre as well as 1he stone scatter corresponds closely with the trap on Mullen's plan. The stone work is again consistent with the style found at trap C6 and also exhibits·some differential wea1hering. \ 3 Modern Reconstruction Attempts or·New Construction A.fodern Structure XI This is aheart-shaped enclosure about 7 metres in diameter made from small stones. It is built on recently accumulated silt and . gravel in a small channel about 20 m downstream of 1he weir. The stones show signs of having been recently moved (dried algae on 1heir upper surface, silt adhering) and are very loosely placed. It is clear 1hat 1his structure could not surVive the next flood of the river, particularly since erosion of the silt on which it is erected is already occuning. It is a good example of a modem structure. Modern Structure X2 \· J This is a 3-4 m wall between silt ·banks made up of a single line of stones across a narrow channel. Like modern structure Xl, 1his wall is constructed on mobile silt and gravel in a small water channel which appears to be actively eroding. The stones are all less than 30 em diameter and loosely packed. The neh."t flood will probably result in the destruction of this feature. This is also considered to be a modem stmcture. Reconstructed Trap B9 ·i I ; In the area of trap B9, there is a long, wide and straight wall forming the south wall of a triangular enclosure. This wall is about 1.2 m high from river bed to top and up to 2 m wide at base. The top is also wide with two or three stones side by side in some parts. The enclosure of which this wall is part is large and straight sided measuring about 20xl 0 m, which is more than twice the size of any oilier enclosure. The triangular fotm cannot be recognised in any of 1he early plans or photographs. · This wall is possibly a modern reconstruction of part of 1he original trap B9 where the two walls of 1he enclosure have been formed into one. Mullen's and Matthews' plans show the tail end of a fish trap in this location ·where only one straight wall is now visible. The historical photographs (Photo 4) also show ·wallc; in this area but the wide single wall does not match the form shown in the photographs. These photographs also show traps on operation (or what can be construed operation since the Aboriginal people may have been specially posed) and only a single line of stones is visible above water height. The present wall has a top course which is two to tlrree stones wide. Even allowing for some collapsing and differences in river heights 118 between the photographs and the conditions at the end of 1991, the wall is inconsistent with the histotic records. There have been suggestions that reconstruction. of parts of.the Fisheries was carried out in tlte 1960's following construction of the weir. It is possible that this section of wall was the area rebuilt at that time. Linking Wall B8-9 This is a fairly straight wall fonning the north side of the triangular enclosure described above. This wall is of similar dimensions to the reconstructed B9 wall descn"bed above and also appears to be at least partly a modem reconstruction of a connecting wall which can be recognised in Mullen's plan and early photographs (Photo 4 ). Again there is a strong possibility that this wall has been reconstructed since the early plans and photographs were produced; Another wall forming the west side of this triangular enclosure does not appear on any of the early photographs or plans and so must have been constructed later than the early 1900's. A1odern ConstrnctionX3 This is a rectangular stone arrangement consisting of straight lines of small stones laid out in a flat shallow section of the river bed where the water was about 20 em deep in December 1991. This is clearly a modem structure as the lines of small stones (2030cm diameter) would not survive the faster currents or floods. The shallow water may · a suitable place for catching fish. Nearly all other traps contain an area where the not operational depth of water would have been between 50-90 em. be 119 APPENDIX 6 CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE CRITERIA Criteria for the Register of the National Estate. The Brewarrina Fisheries is already included on the Register of the National Estate. However, it was nominated in the early days before detailed criteria were spelt out As a result of this study, the information in the·register about the Fisheries should be revised. The criteria for the Register of the National Estate are listed below. CRITERION A: IMPORTANCE IN THE COURSE, OR PATTERN, OF AUSTRALIA'S NATURAL OR CULTURAL lllSTORY Al Importance in the evolution of the Australian flora, fauna, landscapes or clinwte. A2 Importance in maintaining existing processes or natural systems at the regional or national scale. A3 Importance in exhibiting unusual richness or diversity of flora, fauna, landscapes or cultural feanu·es. · A4 Imp01tance for association with events, developments or cultural phases which have had a significant role in the human occupation and evolution of the nation, State, region or community. CRITERION· B: POSSESSION OF UNCOMMON, RARE OR . ENDANGERED ASPECTS OF AUSTRALIA'S NATURAL OR CULTURAL HISTORY B 1 Importance for rare, endangered . or · uncommon flora, fauna, conununities, ecosystems, natural landscapes or phenomena, or as a wilderness. B2 Importance in demonstrating a distinctive way of life, custom, process, land-use, function or design no longer practiced, in danger of being lost, or of exceptional interest. CRITERION C: POTENTIAL TO YIELD INFORMATION THAT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO AN UNDERSTANDING OF AUSTRALIA'S NATl1RAL OR CULTURAL HISTORY . C 1 hnportance for .information contributing to a wider understanding of Australian natural history, by vittue of its use as a research site, teaching site, 1ype locality, reference or benchmark site. C2 hnportance for information contributing to a wider understanding of 1he history of human occupation of Australia. . 120 CRITERION D: IMPORTANCE IN DEMONSTRATING THE PRINCIPAL CHARACTERISTICS OF (I) A CLASS OF AUSTRALIA'S NATURAL AND CULTURAL PLACES; OR (II) A CLASS OF AUSTRALIA'S NATURAL OR CULTURAL ENVIRONMENTS 1 Dl Importance in demonstrating the principal characteristics of the range of landscapes, environments or ecosystems, the attributes of which identify them as being characteristic of their class. D2 Importance of demonstrating the principal characteristics of the range of human activities in the Australian environment (including way of life, custom, land-use, function, design or technique). CRITERION E: IMPORTANCE IN DEMONSTRATING PARTICULAR AESTIIETIC CHARACTERISTICS VALUED BY A COMMUNITY OR CULTURAL GROUP E 1 Importance for a community for aesthetic characteristics held in high esteem or otherwise valued by the community CRITERION F: IMPORTANCE IN DEMONSTRATING A IDGH DEGREE OF CREATIVE OR TECHNICAL ACI-IIEVEMENT AT A PARTICULAR · PERIOD Fl Impmtance for its achievement. ｴ･｣ｨｮｩ｡ｾ＠ creative, design or arti<>tic excellence, innova1ion or CRITERION G: STRONG OR SPECIAL ASSOCIATIONS ·wrTH A PARTICULAR COMMUNITY OR CULTURAL GROUP FOR SOCIAL, . ·CULTURAL OR SPIRITUAL REASONS G1 Importance as a place highly valued by a cormnunity for reasons of religious, educational or social associations spiritual, symbolic, ｣ｵｬｴｲ｡ｾ＠ CRITERION H: SPECIAL ASSOCIATION WITH TilE LIFE OR VvORKS OF A PERSON, OR GROUP OF PERSONS, OF IMPORTANCE IN AUSTRALIA'S NATURAL OR CULTURAL IilSTORY Hl Importance for close associations with individuals whose activities have been significaht within the history of the nation, State or region. 121 APPENDIX 7 SURVEYING AND MAPPING Cliff Ogleby Introduction The Brewanina Fisheries is a series of stone walls in various states of decay and vandalism in the BaiVJon River at Brewarrina in New South Wales. The structures were built by the Aboriginal to trap ftsh, and are a well known feature of the region. · The unfortunate state of the monuments has prompted initial planning for the preservation and conservation of the stone arrangements. . An extensive field survey incorporating satellite position fixing and electroruc surveying methods was undertaken to produce a detailed record of the present state of the Fisheries in a digital format. This infmmation will provide the foundation for future · · planning and possible construction. Sunrey Datum It is generally accepted survey practice that all survey work be referred to a stable, relocatable coordinate datum. . This facilitates further work on site by enabling new · measurements to be related to older ones, and offers a method of checking calculations. Often in the case of a .survey of this natru·e where the national coordinate reference system (known as the Australian Map Grid, AMG) is difficult to locate from existing ground marks in the township, a local coordinate. datum would be established and subsequent calculations related to this value. The advent of satellite position fixing and the availability of suitable instrumentation now facilitates the transfer of the AMG datum quicldy and economically to remote sites and locations. In tills instance two Ac;htech brand Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite receivers were used to transfer the AMG datuin from Mt. Druid ttigonometrical station to two points on site, giving a starting value for the coordinates and an orientation (or North) based on the Grid datum. One receiver was set up at Mt. Druid and left there for 6 hours. The other was used on both the survey marks for approximately two hours on each point. This method (known as static surveying) gives two epochs of ·concurrent observations which allow a high degree of accuracy to be achieved for the vector between the trigonometrical station and the new point. This procedure yielded coordinate values for the two survey control points. These values were e),.'tended across all the survey control points placed for the survey by doing a least squares adjustment of network of survey observations between the markc::. a The height datum for the level values is the Australian Height Datum, which was obtained from bench marks in the township. A full coordinate listing will be provided when the photogrammetric observations have been completed. Detail and Contour Surveying The main purpose of the survey was to compile as complete a map as possible of the existing condition of the Fisheries. Unfortunately Sou1h Eastern Australia experienced 122 some of the heaviest rainfall and worst flooding in.over 50 years during the expedition, resulting in major highways being cut, towns being ev.acuated and the highest water · level the Barwon river for some time. This substantially reduced the visibility of rocks in the river, reducing the level of completeness of the map. m Nevertheless some one thousand readings were. taken to the bed, banks, general topography and stone wall features during four days of surveying. The survey method used was that known as EDM tacheometry, utilising a Sokkia brand SET4B Total Station and SDR33 Data Recorder. The SET4B enables the electronic measurement of angles and distances to a reflector placed on the point of interest, whilst the SDR33 allows the direct digital recording of these measurements feature coded so they can be interpreted by an appropriate software package. A Compaq LTE 386lap-t.op computer , was used to down-load the survey measurements at the end of each day's. pbservations and to process the observations through the Geocomp survey software package. This on-site processing allowed the surveyors to check each day's word before proceeding on to the other stages of the project. The survey measurements were again re-processed in Melboume once A.M:G coordinates had been determined for the survey control points. Maps were prepared as required fi·om the resultant computer files. A set of the maps showing the rocks visible above water line follow this Appendix. Photogrammetric Mapping Aelial photographs exist for the site, these were acquired by Dr. Graham Connah at the University of New England in 1980 Photographic enlargements of these photographs are being used to augment two dimensional plan CUITently, and it is intended to use the series ofphotos in stereo to add to the three din1ensional data. During the topographic smvey prominent rocks and other features visible in the 1981 photographs were also measured, providing a network of identifiable points on the photos that had a knm\'Il ground location. The photographic prints were converted into a computer compatible f(nmat using a desk top scanner, resulting in a series of eight bit digital images. An image processing package, the Int:ergraph Corporation's hnager, was then used to rectify these images onto the ground control points, enabling tlle missing detail to be transferred onto the two dimensional plan. The transformed photograph is true to scale and free of distortions caused by variations in tlle attitude of the aircraft, and the system used enables the field sutvey information to be displayed along with tlle continuous tone data of the photograph. Conclusion Modem surveying technology enables surveys to be undertaken to a level of detail that would not have been previously considered, this project being an excellent example. In five days in the field, geodetic control was establiShed from a control point some 25 kilometres distant, and approximately 2000 field observations were taken to feature and contour points. Existing aerial photography, converted to a digital format, was then used to fill in the areas under water tllat were inaccessible in the field, resulting in a plan showing a high level of detail. 123 The information produced from this . exercise, which is digital information and not constrained in scale to the size of a piece of paper, will provide the foundation for f11ture preservation and conservation planning and execution. Acknowledgments The valuable assistance of Keir Royle during the field survey and .in the reduction of the observations tlrrough Geocomp is kindly acknowledged. The pennission of the Brewarrina Aboriginal conununity to perform the survey is also acknowledged. ' \ . ' . I' I i . ｾ＠ I ( - '"rJ ...... 0 .......___ t--J ....... 'ij :;;- / _./ ,..... -' / Lh· t1 L- -· - ｾＯｮﾭ ＬＨｊｾｬ＠ '"'l ｾﾷ＠ '"-oJ ::l 0 ,...., 0 0 o I i":"' en ,..,- :·.... ｾＮ＠ :.: ::I 0.. ｾ＠ Ｍｾ［ＱＨＷ＠ 1:1) - -- -/ <r \... - - - ,; ｾ＠ ...... 0 0 0 ::l ....... 0 Ei y. 0 · o ...... 0 0" ｾ＠ ,_. 1.0 1.0 w R<><:k O. lm Rock: 0.6m P.O<k 0.2m Rock O.Sm Reck 0.3m Rock 1.0m R<><k · O.l.m Control Rock O.Sm ' - ' - Scat. t150t Point of lnfONtrf ＴＱＡｓｾＰＧｅ＠ ＶＸｾＲＵＮＳ＿ＰＱ＠ war..- Lint Cr•at•d on 11/0I/1l94 at 1S,1H2 uslna GEOCOMP Q 0 ca. Wall Weir PLAN OF ROCKS AND WATER CONTOURS (O.Sm intervals) Alt (;283130.Pt T ｾ＠ ｾ＠ ｴｾ＠ ｾ＠ Cl> tv .f>. :Q Q N · N "0 g ·a, 8 i . () Jf ｾﾷ＠ ｾ＠ i ｾ＠ ｾ＠ 0"' 0.. 0"' 0 ｾ＠ ｾ＠ () 0 5 ｾ＠ 0 () ｾ＠ s0"' 1-0 ｾ＠ 0 qg_ ' -, . Rod< ｯＮｾｭ＠ Rod< c.sn. li Wt!r Contrcl ｾ＠ \0 ｾ＠ Wator LJnt g. ...... !-.) Vl PLAN OF ROCKS, RIVER BANK AND BOTTOM CONTOURS (O.Sm intervals) flit ｃＮｬＡｾｮ｣ｐｴ＠ T ｾ｡ Ｎｬ Ｎ ｾＭ ｾｏ＠ _ ｟ｐｾＭＢｌＮＡｦ＠ .l!'luut 4r-;943.19SE ＶＸＵＴ ｟ ＲＮｾＹＴＱ＼＠ ｃｲｯ｟｡ Ｎ Ａｦ｟ｾｮ＠ ＱＯＰＴＹｾ＠ at '!7,07.51 using GEOCOHP ____, ______ _ __ ｾ＠ ｾ＠ ｾｑ＠ ...... Ｐｾ＠ N oN ＱＡＹＮｾ＠ g.ｾ＠ '< . ｾ 27 Ｒ Ｑ＠ ｌＮＭ［ｴｾＬ｟＠ ｾ＠ d .. • .... ｾ＠ . ｾ＠ : ,I D. 0"" ｾ＠ n 0 a0 ffi 0 a g. . .. Rode 0.'1:!1 . Rock 0.2m Rode 0.3m Rcx:k 6 ｄＮｾｭ＠ ....1.0ｾ＠ ..iE Rotk 0.6m Rock o.em Wall· Rotk 1.Dm Control Rode O.Sm "'d 0 g:, Weir - - r::-. E Water line ｾ＠ PLAN OF ROCKS AND BANK CONTOURS (0.5M interval) oJ ｾＭ "!1 100m ｾ＠ ｾ＠ tv ｾｬｩｴ＠ ＰＲＡｾＮｐｴ＠ T ｓ｣ｯｬｾＭ｟ＱＵＰ＠ Point or lnterBI _485927.06!( 66!5596.4 7!1!_ Created_!'n ｟ ｰＡ Ｏ ＰＴＯＱ＿Ｙｾ＠ at ＱＴＬＰｾＶ＠ f uslnq GEOCOHP 1 "' 127 FIG 24.Plan of rocks in area ofB8, B9, Bll, ｂＱＲ ＮＭｾ ｾ＠ B13. CliffOgleby i ﾷ Ｍｾ＠ . ' i L I1. I· 0 0 0 ｾＰ＠ 0 o oo · B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 !? 128 FIG 25 Plan ofrocksin area ofC3, C4, CS, C6. CliffOgleby. 0 0 ｾ＠ 0 129 FIG 26 Plan of rocks in area of C3 and C4. Cliff Ogleby. q a 0 0 130 FIG 27Plan of rocks'in area ofwalllinl<ing north bank to Dl. Cliff<;)gleby ·-· -- -···---------- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - , 0 \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ ｜ｾ＠ ｾ＠ ｾ＠ Ｐｾ＠ 0 ｾ＠ . "" "" . " "I I ..,c 0 ;; 0 I I .I I I / lo " " / / / --- --- ---- / ., 0 N "'. o .X 131 . I ｾ＠ \ i 'I . Fig 28 Plan of rocks in area of A7 and A8. Cliff c:igleby: ! ' I I . .,I I \ I 0 0 · I 0 I I I \ \ \ · •... 0 \ \ + \ ; . ! I \ \ 0 \ \ \ \ \ 0 0 0 (9 I I 0 .! 0 . ｾ＠ iI . I \ \ \ I 0 0 I I 0 I / 132 I . FIG 29 Plan of rocks in area ofB2, B3, B4 and Wall B4\B5. CliffOgleby . I I t 0 \ \ \ \ \ \ \ 0 0 oo 'J 0 ｾ＠ ocB I I I \ 0 c9 I I % \ 00 \ 0 \ \ \ \ \ \ \ . \ 0 133 j . \ .\ FIG 30 Plan of rocks in area ofB2, B3, B4 and Wall B4\B5, enlargement ofFig 29. Cliff·Og\eby \· - -- -·-····· - ·- - -·-- ·----·--- - - -· - --···· · · - - - - . I I o. \ 0 I \ i 0 0 ｴｦｾ＠ 0 0 .i Ｍｾ＠ o ｯｲｬ＿ｾ Ｎ＠ Ci2J-c::b ｾＰ＠ a ｾＰ＠ 0 0 0 0 0 l.______ 0 i 134 FIG 31 Plan of rocks in area B6, B7 and B8. Cli:ffOgleby. C3eco 0 o oo 5 ·0 0 0 0 0 0 ·o 0 0 0 0 0 E "" c) E J 0 E m c:) E o .,.! !35 FIG 32 Plan of rocks in area of BS. Cliff Ogleby Ｍ ..,.,,: . Ｍｾ ］ｾ Ｎ＠ ｾ＠ ｾ＠ • •rt: .... . ·l ﾷｾ＠ ..•r' . •••• ••• 0 OCl • ••• . ' ,.• •• •• • 1 I i I • • • • • • • ! .I I ! 136 . REFERENCES ' j ﾷｾ＠ .j ABBOTT, W.E.l881 Notes of ajountey on the Darling. No publisher. j GILMORE; M. 1934 OJr:ldays, old ways. Sydney; Angus& Roberston. I ｾＧＮ＠ CONNAl:.:r: G. and A. JONES 1983 Ae1ial archaeology in Australia. Aerial A rchaeolo;,·y/9- 23. COUTTS, P., R.K.FRANK and P.HUGHES 1978 Aboriginal engineers of the Western Distript, :Victoria. Rec01·ds of the Victorian Archaeological Survey 7:1-4 7. DARGIN, P. 1976 Aboriginal Fisheries qfthe Darling-Em-won Rivers. Bre\vanina:Brewarrina Historical Socie1y. DUNN, B. 1991 Angling in Australia its history and writings. David Ell Press, Sydney .,: LANGLOH ｐａｒｋｅｾ＠ K. 1905 The Euahlayi Tribe. A study of Abonginallife in Australia. Archibald Constable and Co. Ltd. London ·.. ...... _ - I 1 I LOURANDOS, H. 1980 Change or stability? Hydraulics, hllllter-gatherers and population in temperate Australia. World Archaeology 11:245-266. · I MATHEWS, R.H. 1903 Ab01iginal fisheries at Brewarrina. Journal of the Royal Society ofNSW. 37:146-'56. I MATHEWS, R.H. 1907Notes on the Aborigines of New South FVales. Govel11Il1ent ｐｲｩｮｴ･ＱｾＬ＠ Sydney. RANDELL, W.R.1861 Voyage up the Dar11ng and Baiwon. Journal of the Royal Geographical Society (London).31 :145-8. STURT, C. 1834 Two expeditions inio the interior q_( Southern Australia. 2 Vols. London \VRIGHT, D. 1980 King Cl;J'de qf Brewarrina. Dubbo:Development and Advisory Publications. ｾ＠

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