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Fragment 3: Site Analysis: Munna Reserve Location
FRAGMENT 3 S I T E A N A L Y S I S
Munna Reserve, Mudgee
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WIRADJURI NATION
M U D G E E
Mudgee, sits on Wiradjuri Country, in the Cudgegong River Valley, in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales. From conversation with MLALC, the name ‘Mudgee’ derives from the Wiradjuri language. Mudgee (Moothi), translates to resting place or nest in the hills, alluding to rising mountains and their volcanic history capped in basalt lava flows; some 17 million years old.87 Geographic and geological references are also given to the surrounding towns, as part of the strong culture of place-making for Aboriginal people; Lue (a chain of waterholes), Gulgong (a gully) Wollar (a rock waterhole), Menah (flat country) and Cooyal (dry country). The custodians of the land are the Mowgee and Dabee people of the Wiradjuri Nation, whose sacred cultural and tool making sites, such as Hands on Rock, The Drip and Babyfoot Cave remain as significant sites today.
The Cudgegong River, integral to the town, is a perennial stream and forms part of the Macquarie catchment of the Murray-Darling basin. The river rises from the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range within Wollemi National Park to the east, flowing generally in a westerly direction. The Cudgegong River is foundational to a series of fourteen tributaries, before reaching its confluence with the Macquarie River at Lake Burrendong. The natural variability of the river system overall (and during flooding and drought) drives diverse and productive ecosystems. Over time, plants and animals adapted to flourish through different parts of the wetting and drying cycle, however, subsequent damming of the river, in the upper sector at Windamere Dam, has resulted in significant flow changes along the river into the tributaries, impacting these river channels and vegetation. Surrounding the basalt peaks are sandstone ravines and cliff ridges, alongside dry forests and rain forest gorges and broad valleys which spill out into alluvial flats, rich with sediment. This Country has formed the majority of agricultural land in the region.88
