Budj Bim Full Day Tour: Gunditjmara Aquaculture Heritage

Lava flows, stone channels, and eight hours inside one of the world's oldest aquaculture systems

The Kooyang Yana Full Day Tour is a guided cultural tour of Budj Bim led by a Gunditjmara guide through World Heritage sites that showcase the region's 6,000-year-old eel aquaculture network. You walk raised boardwalks past stone kooyang traps, channels, weirs and dams, explore the volcanic crater now called Lake Surprise and its lava tunnels, and visit the Tae Rak Aquaculture Centre to see Lake Codah and its wetland wildlife. The tour runs eight hours with lunch and snacks included. Travel between locations takes around 20 minutes each.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Budj Bim and Gunditjmara culture

• Meet at Tae Rak Aquaculture centre
• Visit historic stone house and lava flow weirs
• Guided bush walk at Budj Bim crater
• Lunch at Tae Rak Aquaculture Centre cafe
• Guided walk at Tae Rak Aquaculture Centre and eel traps

The experience

Budj Bim's lava flows are not ruins. They are infrastructure. The Gunditjmara engineered channels, dams and weirs into the landscape to trap, store and harvest kooyang eel, creating one of the largest and oldest aquaculture networks in the world. Your guide meets you at the Tae Rak Aquaculture Centre and walks you through a historic stone house, stone wall art, and the weirs and dam that still hold water the way they did centuries ago. The boardwalks are raised to protect the environment, so you move through the site without disturbing what the landscape preserves.

After the first location, you travel around 20 minutes to Budj Bim's volcanic crater, now Lake Surprise. A guided bush walk takes you inside the lava tunnels and a cave carved into the rock. The crater itself is the reason the aquaculture works: the lava flows created the channels and basins that made the system possible. You then travel back to the Tae Rak Aquaculture Centre for a light lunch at the cafe, breaking the day in half.

The afternoon focuses on the working heart of the system. A second guided walk explores the Tae Rak Aquaculture Centre itself, Lake Codah, and the ancient eel traps still visible in the landscape. This section opens onto wetland views and native birdlife: the same ecosystem the Gunditjmara built their aquaculture into. The guide is a Gunditjmara cultural guide speaking English, so the knowledge comes from the people who built and maintained these systems. The air-conditioned vehicle moves between the three main locations, and snacks come with lunch included.

What’s included

• Air-conditioned vehicle transport between the three main locations.
• snacks throughout the day.
• lunch at the Tae Rak Aquaculture Centre cafe.
• guided walks with a Gunditjmara cultural guide at the stone house and weir sites, inside the lava tunnels and cave at Lake Surprise, and around Lake Codah and the ancient eel traps.

Before you book

Days and timesWednesday to SundayDeparts at 09:30

Book up to1d before

AgesAdult (14 to 90 years) · Child (3 to 13 years) · Infant (under 3): free

GroupUp to 20

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 3 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortPets welcomeNot recommended with back problems

Operated by Budj Bim Cultural Landscape Tourism

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you want to understand how the Gunditjmara engineered one of the world's oldest aquaculture systems into the landscape itself. The guide is from the culture that built it, and the eight-hour day gives you time to walk the sites, explore the lava tunnels, and see how the channels and traps still function.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 13 years); Infant (under 3): free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What are the kooyang traps and how do they work in the Budj Bim aquaculture system?

Kooyang traps are stone structures built into the Budj Bim lava flows to catch and hold eel. The Gunditjmara engineered channels, dams and weirs to direct floodwaters into basins where the traps sit, allowing them to trap, store and harvest kooyang eel. You see these stone traps and the channels that feed them on the raised boardwalks during the tour.

Will I walk inside the lava tunnels at Lake Surprise?

Yes, the guided bush walk at Budj Bim's volcanic crater includes a walk inside the lava tunnels and a cave. The crater, now called Lake Surprise, was formed by volcanic activity that created the lava flows the Gunditjmara later engineered into their aquaculture network.

How much time do I spend traveling between locations?

Travel between each of the three main locations takes around 20 minutes. The tour runs eight hours total, so the travel time is built into the day, and you move in an air-conditioned vehicle.

What wildlife might I see at Lake Codah in the afternoon?

Lake Codah and the surrounding wetlands at the Tae Rak Aquaculture Centre support extensive native birdlife and other wildlife. The afternoon guided walk explores this area, so you see the living ecosystem alongside the ancient eel traps and stone channels.

Is lunch included, and where do I eat?

Yes, lunch is included and served at the Tae Rak Aquaculture Centre cafe in the middle of the tour. Snacks are also provided throughout the day.

Who is the guide, and what language do they speak?

Your guide is a Gunditjmara cultural guide who speaks English. They lead you through the World Heritage sites and explain the aquaculture system from the perspective of the Gunditjmara people who built and maintained it.