Take the 80,000 year old journey following in the tracks of the Gunaikurnai people.
The Bataluk Cultural Trail follows traditional routes weaving through sites of Aboriginal significance and spanning an incredibly rich history from the Dreamtime, white settlement, to today.
1. White Womans Waterhole
Location: Won Wron State Forest
This site commemorates the tragedies of massacres of Aboriginal people following rumours of a white woman who was held captive by Gurnaikurnai people in the mid 1800s.
2. The Lagoon
Location: Sale Common Wetlands | Wayput (“the heart”)
The wetlands were like a supermarket for the Gunaikurnai people, a rich source of foods and raw materials. Many of the red gums today carry the scars where bark was removed to make canoes.
3. Knob Reserve
Location: Stratford | Nuntin (name of a tribe)
On the bluff, high above the bend of the Avon River is Knob Reserve, an important Aboriginal meeting place. See the scar trees where sheets of bark have been removed for canoes, food bowls, shelters and shields. Look out for the grinding stones, etched with deep grooves where axe heads were sharpened over many centuries.
4. Ramahyuck Cemetery
Location: Perry Bridge
A short drive out of Stratford in Perry Bridge is the Ramahyuck Cemetery, the final remains of the Ramahyuck Mission Station, where “half-caste” Aboriginal people were forcibly located in the late 1800s.
5. Den of Nargun
Location: Mitchell River National Park
Deep in the Mitchell River National Park you’ll reach the Den of Nargun. Gunaikurnai legend holds that the evil Nargun, half-man half-stone, lived in the sacred cave taking young children who wandered too far from their camp. Please show your respect for this special place by not entering the cave.
6. Krowathunk- oolong Keeping Place
Location: Bairnsdale | Wy Yung (“spoon billed duck”)
Krowathunkoolong Keeping Place the museum puts the heritage of the Gunaikurnai people in the spotlight, with hunting and fighting weapons, baskets, canoes and contemporary art on display. Join a guided tour to learn about the area’s Indigenous history.
7. Howitt Park
Location: Bairnsdale | Wy Yung (“spoon billed duck”)
In Bairnsdale, alongside the masterfully tranquil Mitchell River is Howitt Park. This scenic and shady reserve is a great spot to stretch the legs or for kids to play on the playground, but it is also a site of deep Indigenous significance. Marvel at the mighty canoe tree, notable for the size of its scar.
8. Legend Rock
Location: Metung | Ngungit (“hole”)
Take a picturesque stroll around the edge of Bancroft Bay along the Metung Boardwalk, taking in Legend Rock, a meteorite entrenched in Gunaikurnai mythology. According to the story, greedy fisherman who ate more than their fill of the day’s catch were turned into rocks (only one rock currently remains), serving as a reminder to ancestors that greed is punished.
9. Burnt Bridge Reserve
Location: Lake Tyers State Park
On the western side of the Nowa Nowa arm of Lake Tyers is Burnt Bridge Reserve, a sacred place for the Gunaikurnai and key interest point along the Bataluk Cultural Trail. This productive area was a “bush pantry” with food, medicines and supplies to make tools and weapons.
10. Buchan Caves
Location: Buchan | Bukkan Munjie
Beneath the unsuspecting forest floor of a scenic valley lies an enchanting system of limestone formations known as the Buchan Caves. The labyrinthine network is one of Australia’s most spectacular, rich in colour and adorned with still pools and a mesmerising latticework of towers.
Evidence of Aboriginal people living in this area dates back 18,000 years.
It was not common for the Gunaikurnai people to enter deep into the caves, and many stories about wicked “Nyols” living in the caves deterred the tribes from entering.
11. Salmon Rocks & East Cape Boardwalk
Location: Cape Conran Coastal Park | Kurlip
Evidence of one of Earth’s oldest people can be found on Cape Conran’s shoreline, with remnants of tools and marine life that have been built up to form “shell middens”. The top layer of a midden is visible from the viewing platform at Salmon Rocks. The East Cape Boardwalk protects some sacred ancient meeting places of the Gunaikurnai people. Interpretive signs provide a rare glimpse into the significance of this coastal environment for Aboriginal people.