Tungatt Mirring Stone Country Half Day Tour
Take a journey with a Gunditjmara cultural guide to learn about the creation of the historic Budj Bim Cultural Landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage listed area, near Portland in Western Victoria. Explore the Budj Bim volcanic crater, now known as Lake Surprise, where the legend of Budj Bim began and learn about ancient times through to the present day.
Enjoy a guided bush walk and see lava tunnels, caves and the surrounding forest. Visit Kurtonitj Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) to see ancient stone kooyang (eel) traps and stone channels, remnants of stone house sites and kooyang smoking trees. Kurtonitj (meaning 'crossing place') is sacred to the Gunditjmara people with enormous cultural, archaeological and environmental significance.
This tour operates all year round.
Location
What to expect
Experience Highlights
- Visit the Kurtonitj Indigenous Protected Area and Budj Bim National Park
- See an ancient smoking tree that was used for smoking kooyang (eels)
- Visit an area of lava flow featuring two weirs
- Learn how the Gunditjmara used aquaculture systems to trap and hold kooyang
- Morning tea in Budj Bim National Park
Itinerary
This tour takes visitors through the history of the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape, covering Budj Bim National Park, Lake Surprise and Kurtonitj IPA, where guides will show you the living Indigenous culture and landscape through Gunditjmara eyes.
The tour starts with a visit to the Kurtonitj IPA in the centre of the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape. This area has historical stone kooyang (eel) traps and stone channels along with evidence of ancient stone house sites and eel smoking trees.
After some time at Kurtonitj, you'll visit Budj Bim National Park, starting with morning tea.
The Gunditjmara call the area ‘Tungatt Mirring’ or Stone Country, and it is here that the legend of Budj Bim began.
Your guide will take you on a cultural walk with key features of interest including lava tunnels, caves, forest and wildlife, including an extensive koala population.
After Budj Bim, return to the Tae Rak Aquaculture Centre & Café, arriving approximately 1pm. (Lunch not included).
What is included
This is a 4 hour experience that runs from 9:30am on Wednesday through to Sunday.
Bookings are essential and the tour operates with a minimum of 2 people.
Meeting point
Tae Rak Aquaculture Centre. Vaughans Rd, Breakaway Creek, Victoria
What to bring
- Camera
- Hat
- Repellent
- Sunglasses
- Sunscreen
- Water bottle
YOUR EXPERIENCE PROVIDER
Budj Bim Cultural Landscape Tourism
Budj Bim Cultural Landscape is a UNESCO World Heritage listed area near Portland in Western Victoria and is one of Australia’s great national heritage landscapes.
Budj Bim is recognised nationally and internationally as a special place that offers unique and authentic experiences of a living Indigenous culture, history and landscape. Budj Bim is the Gunditjmara name for Mount Eccles, an inactive volcano located within the Western Victorian Volcanic Plains.
The First Nations owned and operated Budj Bim Cultural Landscape Tourism offer a guided experience of southwest Victoria’s Gunditjmara Country, where First Nations history dates back more than 39,000 years, characterised by the region’s ancient aquaculture systems.
Budj Bim Cultural Landscape Tourism is led by local Gunditjmara guides and invite visitors to discover a vibrant Indigenous culture and landscape through shared stories and along raised boardwalks designed to preserve the precious natural environment.
The state-of-the-art Tae Rak Traditional Aquaculture Centre and eatery offers refreshments as well as kooyang (eel) tastings, bringing to life the traditional farming techniques practiced over hundreds of generations.