2. Mungahs

Mungahs (fish traps) were used extensively by Nyoongar communities throughout the South West of WA.  The last reported use of these traps was at Barragup (Mandurah) in the 1930s and also in the Swan River near Como in the 1890s.

At high tide fish swim over the stone and brushwood wall and are trapped when the water level falls. The fish are then caught by hand or speared.

Mandurah is a Nyoongar word for a ‘place of trade’.  Nyoongar peoples from Esperance to Geraldton visited the fish trap after the first rains each year.  Ceremonies and cultural exchange were an important part of those gatherings.