Canoes were constructed from the paperbark tree  which was in plentiful supply in the area.  They were  probably up to 5 metres long and made from thin strips of  the bark tightly bound and lashed together with string for  strength. Canoes were used to travel both long and short  distances to the offshore islands.

Wood from dogwood and manuka was gathered to make  implements and weapons. The ends were fire hardened and then  made into short chisel type digging sticks, firebrands, spears,   music sticks and waddis.  The firebrand was carried for protection against the bad spirits   as the people travelled, and for immediate use in cooking, firing    the land and as well as for warmth.

A variety of bush foods; fruits, roots, tubers were significant  sources of nutrition for the leenerrerter  people and were  collected by the women.  

Living near or in the river systems of the Coastal Plains were a variety  of animals including snakes, echidna, eels, native cat (quoll), platypus,  possums, fish, burrowing and freshwater crayfish.  Most of these animals comprised an important part of the leenerrerter  diet.

Grandfather and grandmother peppermint gum were culturally  significant to the leenerrerter clanspeople both as a ceremonial tree and burial tree, and remain so for their descendants . The leenerrerter people practiced complex forms of reverence  towards the remains of the dead. One practice was to place  the deceased in an upright position in the burnt-out hollows  of the living peppermint gum using lengths of brushwood or  spears. Strips of...

The settling pond was excavated in 1962 and used in the operation of the fish farm downstream. Aerial view settling pond, 1962  Before the pond was built the water race would  frequently block with gravel and sand.  Fish farm workers had to clean the race daily. With the settling pond as a part of the system, the water was then diverted into the pond from the race, and the gravel or sand would drop down  and ‘settle.’  A screen was...

In 1962 the settling pond was dug just a few hundred  metres downstream from the weir. The water was diverted  before it travelled down the race to the fish farm. The  gravel and sand would drop to the bottom and the water  was reasonably clear. A screen was installed to catch  rubbish to stop it going down the race.

Originally the water was pumped some 3000 ft or around 900  metres to the reservoir at the top of the town with no running  costs.  The reservoir is about 270 feet or about 80 metres above  the river. The scheme covered an area from just south of the river  along to the old pier. It also included taps along the foreshore,  the recreation ground, (village green) and the public hall.