The Victorian naturalist . nt of country, and, in the winter,rose rapidly to its overflow point. Thewater then poured out, not onlythrough the cracks in the basaltridges, along its margin, but also alongthe channels which the natives madeby removing loose stones and evensome of the more solid rock-face. Thefish traps were constructed at suitableplaces across the path of the water inorder to trap the fish leaving the lakewith the overflow. They consisted of low wing-walls ofstones which restricted the passage ofthe water to a gap between 1 and 2feet in width, which was left in thecentre. At the
The Victorian naturalist . nt of country, and, in the winter,rose rapidly to its overflow point. Thewater then poured out, not onlythrough the cracks in the basaltridges, along its margin, but also alongthe channels which the natives madeby removing loose stones and evensome of the more solid rock-face. Thefish traps were constructed at suitableplaces across the path of the water inorder to trap the fish leaving the lakewith the overflow. They consisted of low wing-walls ofstones which restricted the passage ofthe water to a gap between 1 and 2feet in width, which was left in thecentre. At these openings strong bag-nets were fastened, and into thesewould pile the fish, mostly eels andtupong, which the current enticed toleave the lake. These bag-nets weremade of plaited reeds, and were 10feet or more in length, and over 2feet in diameter at the mouth butsoon contracting to only about 4 or 5inches, so that the fish would not haveenough space to turn around and swimback and out. As well as these traps, wooden bar-. ricades were constructed each winteracross the overflow of the lake intoDarlots Creek. These were erectedwith strong forked stakes, horizontalspars, and vertical stakes, the wholere-inforced with piles of stones. Hereand there openings were left for thewater to rush through, and at thesepoints bag-nets were placed. Gradually, however, as the numberof aborigines at the Reserve dimin-ished, the traps were allowed to fallinto disrepair; the end came with theclosing down of that Institution in1918, and the removal of most of thefew remaining inhabitants to LakeTyers, in Gippsland. Nevertheless, theplan of the fisheries is still clearly dis-cernible by the accumulations ofstones tumbled down from the walls. What is not generally known is thatthe traps were not limited to the im-mediate vicinity of the Lake; severalare in close proximity to the oldMission Station and one is still recog-nizable at the S bend of DarlotsCreek, about a mile upstream fromLittle Dunmore
Size: 2006px × 1246px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdec, booksubjectnaturalhistory, bookyear1884
