Journal Article

In the minds of most present day Australians, both indigenous and non-indigenous, "engineering" came to the continent with the first Europeans. However, if one looks at what "engineering" really is, then structures from history and pre-history, especially in the Middle East, which supplied water to growing settlements cannot be ignored; there were excellent examples present in Australia which may even pre-date those in many northern hemisphere civilisations. This paper looks particularly at the aquaculture structures built from the Budj Bim lava flows (Mt Eccles) in southwestern Victoria. The aquaculture industry produced a permanent food supply, a permanent settlement, food trading and a different form of governance than was generally found elsewhere in Australia. The works have now been recognised as an Engineering Heritage National Landmark by the Institution of Engineers Australia (commonly referred to as Engineers Australia).