Kooyang Yana Full Day Tour - Budj Bim

The Kooyang Yana tour was such an amazing and well-rounded experience. The sites visited are culturally rich, beautiful and easy to walk through. The tour guides hold a wealth of knowledge, and they interact with the group in a friendly and enthusiastic way. All questions are meet with a warm answer, and there is no judgement. A tasting plate was included in our tour. Delicious food, super-filling and the food came out quick. I had a group of 8 with vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free dietaries. Budj Bim catered well for everyone. My highlight was eating the kooyang (eels) in different ways. I'm really glad we did the tour. It was a beautiful way to spend the day, and it was worth every cent. I would do this tour again, and highly recommend this tour.

The full day tour was excellent. Our guide was a fantastic young Gunditjmara man, very friendly and engaging, and was clearly a little emotional when describing some of the bad interactions between his people and the early white settlers in the area (and we couldn't help getting emotional too!). The lunch provided as part of our tour was exceptional, and well beyond what we expected — overall an excellent day!

It was amazing. The storytelling, especially was so impressive. As well as that, the landscape and the new things we learned from Jay, our guide. He is a very knowledgeable guide.

This is a unique landscape. A part of the Kanawinka Geopark & an insight into Indigenous engineering. Truly a beautiful landscape. This is a new business operation that will hopefully mature into a well oiled tour. On the day of our tour - a manager forgot to put fuel in the bus. We had to wait while the guide took the bus to Heywood to fuel up. We were not informed of the delay. The bus windows were dirty & cobwebs in the interior. Time management was poor. Morning tea was served at 12. Noon. The guide would go off on a tangent & not always correct information. At one stage the guide was telling us about Ancient Egyptians interacting with Indigenous. The guide was fond of using the “ C “ word in conversation. The tour was to include the stone houses but we were not taken there due to poor time management Lunch was lovely but no serving spoons were supplied & 4 arancini were provided for 5 guests.When the platter was placed in front of 2 people I asked if that was for the table or for 2? The answer was “ I don’t know”.

It was absolutely unique. Our guide was knowledgable and committed to sharing as much detail about the eel traps and stone houses as we could obsorb. It was an all day activity by the time we found the place and drove on to Lorne. Lunch was amazing! We do think it needs a sealed road and a microphone in the bus as Nathan’s extensive commentary was lost in the back of the bus. He was able to discuss it from all angles and we really appreciated discussion of the legislation leading to the Heritage listing. We were amazed that we recognized so many famous aboriginal families - Saunders, Lovett and others as involved in this work. I must also mention the seasonal sundial which demonstrated knowledge of country. We came away humbled and optimistic for future understanding by the wider community of indigenous culture.

We learned so much on this all-day tour and recommend it highly. We can understand why UNESCO has named Budj Bim a World Heritage site for its ancient and extensive aquaculture system. Whilst the morning part of the tour (to Budj Bim/Mt Eccles) is worthwhile, I would recommend booking the lunchtime tasting plate (delicious) and the afternoon Tae Rak tour if you wanted a shorter experience. We also appreciated our self-tour to Tyrendarra Indigenous Protected Area to see remains of stone houses. This should be better promoted. All in all, a rich and valuable experience.

We are still talking about our trip and telling all our friends to go as well as schools we know. The guides were incredibly knowledgeable and welcoming. We learned a lot about how the Gunditjmara people created and worked the eel farms, how they cooked it and the remnants of their houses. We even saw Brolgas on the lake and enjoyed a delicious lunch as part of our tour including some eel (which was delicious!) I have so much respect for the Gunditjmara people and their vast knowledge.

a very humbling experience to learn about history we were never taught at school. Luke was a very relaxed guide, taking us to many places around Budj Bim and Tae Rak. The lunch was delicious, we enjoyed the eel and eel pate and the spiced macadamias were delicious.

The Kooyang Yana Full Day Tour was the highlight of our Western Victoria trip. We had to juggle things around as we couldn't get a tour on the day we wanted, there were no guides available as they were booked out with large school groups. We camped at the Budj Bim campgrounds which were really good. There were a couple of wallabies who hung about the area, one of them was lounging about under a tree at the next campsite across nibbling on a cone that had fallen from a tree. The tour started from the cultural center at Tae Rak. We visited Budj Bim, saw the eel traps and the remains of ancient stone houses. We had a fabulous lunch at the cultural centre which included some traditional smoked eel. We learned all about the culture of the Gunditjmara people from our excelent guide, Reuben. It was fascinating. I highly recommend the full day tour.

The full day experience was amazing. My partner and 12 year old all agreed that it was educational, fun and that we would love to learn more. The guide was outstanding: knowledgeable, personable and full of stories both amusing and moving. The landscape itself is fascinating as were the birds we saw. The lunch was delicious and we ate it all. We’d return just to eat at the visitor centre again. To understand anything about this ancient landscape I would recommend the longest tour you have time for.

We were blown away with how good the tour and location was. I had heard that what I was taught at school was wrong, but had no idea the extent of aquaculture and sustainable practices that thousands of years of living and understanding nature can provide a community. The cafe by the Lake by is worthy of a stop along the drive to/from Melbourne, but you will get so much more from the tour. The eel tasting plate allows you to give the food a try. There are also other options for vegetarians. Learning about culture and the lifecycle of eels was one of the most fascinating tours we have done. Is great to know that the land is being managed by traditional owners who have tours to help all of us to enjoy the beautiful country we live in. The tour challenges you to rethink not only what we were told about aboriginal peoples but some of the practices that guide our lives - like the Gregorian calendar and the benefit of observation of nature to signpost when seasons are changing and what that means for our lives.

Everyone should do this tour. The importance of the site in understanding Australia’s history, indigenous ingenuity, culture and sustainability, the natural beauty, the quality of the set up, the food, the fantastic guides, everything was absolutely mind blowing. An experience we will never forget with learnings we will take with us forever.

Enjoyable expose of cultural info on local lands. Very confident tour guide Rueben took us thru local history based on aboriginal culture . Interesting to hear a deeper history of the land & see how eel fishing was done in a sustainable & clever way up until recently. Rueben has amazing knowledge about short finned eels & it’s marvelous to see a young guy so passionate about his culture. Tour includes short bus trips with on the spot guidance on walks on what local shrubs are plus what they are used for. We really enjoyed the tour & recommend it to anyone wanting to know about culture around Portland/Port Fairy area . Also really great lunch that includes local eel as well.

We had an absolutely amazing day with our Gunditjmara cultural guide, Ruben, as he shared his language, history, and knowledge of the amazing cultural landscape that is World Heritage-listed Budj Bim. Budj Bim is the site of the oldest practice of commercialised aquaculture worldwide. The Gunditjmara witnessed the volcanic action of Budj Bim (who is one of their creator spirits) over 30,000 years ago. Add to this an incredible lunch platter - don’t miss the eel pate or roo. This trip is a real highlight and shouldn’t be missed whether you are an Australian or International visitor. Thank you 🙏🏼

Eye opening cultural tour, well worth spending a day visiting 3 beautiful, different and interesting areas. The knowledge sharing was brilliant!

It was definitely worth taking the full day tour! We had a great group of curious and engaged partipants and our guide Ruben was excellent. Loved the meal on the beautiful deck overlooking the lake, and the opportunity to visit some of the Victoria / Australia's most significant cultural heritage with a knowledgable guide on his own Country was incredible. Highly recommend!

The tour exceeded our expectations. Our guide Tyson was incredibly knowledgeable and shared many stories and insights on First Nations practices and history. The cafe served a delicious lunch and the service was very friendly. Would highly recommend a visit to learn about such a special place and its history,

A wonderful experience learning of this landscape and this special place. Really not to be missed in every regard. The country, the information, knowledge and the skilled story telling of our guide, to the amazing food. Thank you to the whole team for a most memorable day. 🙏

The tour gives an amazing account of the remarkable Budj Bim cultural landscape, beautifully shared through the knowledge and storytelling of the Gunditjmara people. The lunch offered was outstanding, and viewing the lava flows and eel traps must be experienced to fully understand and respect this extraordinary culture.

Wow the entire experience blew us away .We had a wonderful guide-Jaedyn -who was so honest and informative about the history and present day for the local indigenous nation and excellent at describing the aquacultue system-the lifecycle of eels and the joy of watching Tae Rak[Lake Condah] filling up again following years of it being drained.The extraordinary environment-/landscape was so wonderfully described and expained geologically and historically .The lunch was utterly Gourmet -in the wonderful new buildings .We had last visited in 2017 and the changes were so tasteful and well done .Congratulations to everyone who is part of this organistion-from the booking-the tour itself-the lovely bus driver -chef and staff at the cafe ,I cant praise it highly enough .Do yourself a favour and do the day tour --Janey

We very much enjoyed our tour and learned many new things. A few things I’d like to see improved. The bathrooms along the tour were locked, the tour guide really needs to carry the key. We were also told to leave the precinct as soon as the tour finished which was a shame as we hadn’t even had time to look at the lake. Suggest getting to the tour early to look around. The food was top class, however we were presented with a platter to share with another guest who we didn’t know, it’s not really a great thing to share food with a stranger. The photos on web site show many things we did not see so felt somewhat disappointed by this, though as I said we really enjoyed what we did see. I would suggest other visitors to plan a second day to return to all the sights to have a longer more thorough look around after the tour.

Our guide was very knowledgeable and passionate about the traditions and customs of his people. The lunch included in our package was a variety of indigenous inspired cuisine. It was very delicious.

Provided understanding and insight into how innovative and resilient the Gundjitmara were to engineer the eeltraps long before the pyramids were built. Also great to get a sense of the housing and community of 6600 years ago.

Why do we go overseas and place such importance on the history of other countries without exploring our own? This site is so rich in history and of significant cultural importance. Our Cultural Officer was a young Gunditjmara man who was very adept at finding a balance in blending of some hard facts along with sharing the richness and beauty of the country. The lunch was superb. The lunchtime discussions amongst our group showed we were all immersed in the experience. The programme of the full day tour was well-paced and allowed time to absorb all the information being shared so generously with us. The history is staggering, hard to get your head around. I am still processing everything. Amazing, thank you for the richness of the experience.

The organisation of the tour from booking and confirmation all the way through to the quality of the tour itself, and through to the food on offer and provided as part of the tour was absolutely first class. The pity was that the lake was at its lowest level for many years and the streams and wetlands were all dried up, which prevented us seeing the eel traps as they would normally be. However, the tours (I did both the Budj Bim morning tour and the Tae Rak afternoon tour, with lunch in between) were very good indeed. Reuben, the morning guide, was remarkably passionate and knowledgable, and his description of the fate of the Gunditjmara people after European incursion from 1842 was a story that non-Indigenous Australians should hear. The whole Budj Bim enterprise is very impressive, and demonstrates the very best of Indigenous tourism.

We enjoyed the day very much. Our guide for the morning was Jayden & he was very informative. We learnt a lot about the aboriginal culture. When had lunch in the cafe which was delicious (Eel arancini balls with salad) then enjoyed the afternoon with Brayden. We learnt all about the Eels & how they caught them. We then went to see “fish traps” & a smoking tree. Brayden was a great guide with lots of information. Definitely well worth doing the full day. We started with just the half day then upgraded.

Our booking directed us to an incorrect starting point, a store-front in Macarthur, 25k from Lake Condah!!! The rest of the day was informative & interesting

Our day tour was informative, full of excellent knowledge shared in subtle and informed ways. The layers of First Nations Country and peoples were much more than we would have learned without the tour. Food was excellent too, as were the birds, walks and incredible Country. thanks so much L & J

Dear Budj Bim Team, I wanted to extend my heartfelt thanks for the incredible experience of visiting Budj Bim. Your generosity in sharing your stories, culture, and deep connection to Country made this an unforgettable journey—one that has left a lasting impact on me and my family. Budj Bim’s 30,000-year history offers an extraordinary perspective—not just on the resilience and ingenuity of the Gunditjmara people but also on the deep human connection to this land that predates colonisation by tens of thousands of years. Standing in that landscape, hearing about aquaculture systems older than the Egyptian pyramids, I was struck by how much of Australia’s deeper history remains unseen, unacknowledged, or overshadowed by colonial narratives. I had the privilege of experiencing this with my parents, and they too were deeply moved. My 68-year-old father said afterwards that if there had been a three-day tour, he would have done it without hesitation. That speaks to the power of what you are sharing—the knowledge, the history, and the profound sense of place that you bring to life through your storytelling. Thank you again for this experience. We are forever moved.

Outstanding cultural tour. Our guide, Jaydyn, was very knowledgeable, friendly and patient. The areas visited were beautiful and better than described. Lunch was delicious and plentiful. Highly recommended.

We had an great day on the full day tour. The guides were very good and offered different perspectives on the landscape and culture. The lunch was excellent!

Loved the full day tour. Incredibly informative in a very beautiful landscape. Such an interesting cultural experience. The history is amazing. Included eel platter and tastings for lunch. All in all an excellent day enjoyed by all.

Bucket list experience birthday gift trip. You absolutely will not regret going on the full day tour of this UNESCO listed area. I travelled to the other side of the world to visit the Orkney Islands before realising Tae Rak & Budj Bim in my own back yard was recognised as a world heritage area. What is in Australia's own backyard leaves it for dead. The mist off the water as the sun rises is special, and the learning and exposure to culture that his existed for millennia is mind blowing. "Do yourself a favour" :)

This tour had a big impact on me. I went with not much knowledge at all about the history in that part of our country. It was enlightening and inspiring and emotional. After chewing over the amazing day I now have an extra respect for the first people of this land. I loved how the two tour guides were so knowledgeable and ready to answer any question. They were kind and thoughtful and passionate about their country. I loved every minute and would recommend this wonderful tour. The lunch was yummy too.

It was a highly informative and wonderful experience. Our guide was very knowledgeable and easy to talk too. The lunch was fantastic and more than we could eat. Highly recommend.

This is an amazing experience. Learning that Australian Indigenous people farmed eel and created stone channels so that they could regulate the waterways to catch eels is mindblowing. Our guides Joey and Reuben were both informative and enthusiastic. Both areas of the park were interesting, one had boardwalks and the other was more natural. Te stone foundations of homes were fascinating. Australia has a rich and diverse history. I think it is crucial to learn our early history as the Aboriginal history is so not only interesting but ensures we know the truth of our country. The lunch was delicious and plentiful. Tasting platters, soup and a cheese platter, we were spoiled. By far one of the best tours I have done.

Wow. Budj Bim National Park and Tae Rak Aquacultural tour. A Mind blowing education of an ancient culture, so brutally lost, but not forgotten. Now reclaimed and being lovingly restored and shared with those of us who want to know more. In the words if one most of us remember, "Do yourself a favour!" Our tour guide, Luke, was amazing, funny, fun, interesting, engaging and warm. So full of knowledge and so happily willing to share. And much to Richards delight a Hawks fan. Go figure. Go Hawks! Thankyou Luke for an amazing day. We appreciated and enjoyed the lunch so much more after learning about the produce. What an epic journey.

Fantastic tour - well organised, highly engaging, educational, great value. Our tour guides provided expert interpretation of the landscape and generously shared so much of their knowledge. Awesome catering too. Highly recommended.

Excellent tour. I learned a great deal about culture and history of the aboriginal people in the area. The guide, Luke, was very welcoming and knowledgeable. The eel tasting platter was excellent. Definitely recommend doing the full day tour.

We both had an amazing day and also the lunchtime tasting plates were really good. Lots of interesting information ⭐️👍

Absolutely first rate tour, small friendly group with informative guide. Some hard stories, but lots of positives too, regeneration of the lake particularly. Welcoming friendly staff, great coffee and delicious share platters for lunch. Amazing to learn about the life cycle of the eels. We need to listen and learn.

Our guide was so knowledgeable, friendly and engaging, he really brought the past back to life for us. We enjoyed learning about the stone eel traps and the houses, but also enjoyed the information about how the gunditijmara people lived. Lunch was amazing; a real high light!

A truly wonderful experience. Listening to the stories of the family and mob of our tour guide - Rueben, was hard and often confronting, but shared with such humility and grace and forward vision it was truly inspiring. To see and feel the remnants of the oldest continuous culture on earth is a truly special experience. Go with an open mind and heart and be prepared to be amazed. The building at the culture centre, winner of architectural awards and all the constructed infrastructure is stunning and the food at the cafe well worth a visit on its own. We has lots of family discussion afterwards with teenagers, about the content and it was awesome to see their engagement and understanding that the new knowledge brought.

Thanks to Reuben our guide for such an informative,fact and fun filled commentary.He kept us interested and absorbed all day, and displayed and enthused us with his love for the history of his people. Delicious lunch, too!

The day was amazing with interesting information and beautiful country to see in a different way. Plus the lunch was delicious. All our questions were answered and our guide was knowledgeable and friendly. Our expectations were exceeded and we will definitely recommend to others.

We had driven around 800km to visit Budj Bim and take the full day Kooyang Yana tour - and we certainly weren't disappointed with what we saw or how it was explained. Our guide Rheuben was fantastic - passionate, knowledgeable and articulate. We were really impressed with the facilities and friendly staff at Tae Rak - and the lunch-time bush foods platter was magnificent. We were so impressed by the evidence of the ingenuity and antiquity of the eel traps and the stone houses, and the way the area is being presented by the proud Indigenous custodians of the site. An all-round wonderful experience.

We loved how integrated the tour was, giving us insights into the history of the frontier wars and dispossession, traditional use of plant species, geological forms, the complexity of the eel traps, the changing landscape made by channeling water from the land and more recently planting plantation timber. It absolutely opened up the landscape in a different way, so thank you to Reuben, our guide. We had a wonderful tasting plate for lunch and tried (and loved) the eel. Can’t recommend the tour enough.

This was incredible. We learned and experienced so much and will forever be in awe of our first nation's people. The guides were welcoming and duly proud of their incredible culture, land and survival against the odds! We had a fabulous lunch. The whole day was so well done. I wish all Australians could experience this.

We did the full day tour with Rueben who was an excellent guide, he spoke words in his traditional language and gave full explanations of everything he spoke about. The country is beautiful, and the lake is teeming with many species of birdlife. Especially loved all the information about the eels and their mating rituals, which was delivered by Luke. It's not hard to see that the area is UNESCO world heritage listed because of its landscape and the sophisticated aquaculture systems developed by the Gunditjmara people to trap eels. The tasting platters were outstandingly tasty and very well presented. What an amazing day and experience it was with both guides who love what they do.