Murray River's Significance To The Aboriginal People

The land and river with its billabong’s were of great significance to the Aboriginal people who have lived on this land for thousands of years. Lake Mungo is located approximately 90kms northeast of Mildura and is the site of the oldest human remains found in Australia, dating back 40,000-60,000 years. The Murray river is one of the longest running rivers in Australia; it is referred to as the Millewa by the Latje Latje people (a colloquial term still used by locals to this day). The river provides plenty of food and reeds found in the river or billabongs even allowed huts to be built to provide shelter, even beds. Clay found on the riverbeds aided Aboriginal women with cooking. Women would dig a hole and set fire in the hole to heat lumps
of clay. They then swept the fire out and placed animals and roots inside, wrapped in layers of damp grass to cook (Murray River 2013). Children in a child-care setting could pretend to make these ‘oven’s by using clay and educators could even provide lunch that reflected what Aboriginal people used to eat (perch, cod, yabbies, mussels,