The Snowy Mountains and the Bogong Moth

If you enjoy the wide open spaces, fresh air and something unusual, then you can't go past the  Snowy Mountains in the Australian Highlands.

The Snowy Mountains, ranging in height from 1830 metres to 2220 metres, form part of the Great Dividing Range which runs like a spine up the east coast of Australia.

There's high precipitation (that falls as snow as well as rain) of around 3800 millimetres a year, and while snowfalls are usually concentrated in the months of May to October, snow has persisted until December, and has been recorded in every month. Even in summer, temperatures can fall without warning, so it's wise to always be prepared with warm clothing, water, food and a compass. 

The minimum temperature recorded in the area was minus 20 C at Kiandra!

One of the most unusual features of the area is the annual Bogong Moth Festival.

The main breeding ground of the Bogong is the pasture land west of the Great Dividing Range. However, during summer, the high temperatures make the plains unfavourable for the Bogongs, so the adults that emerge in spring migrate to the cooler high country of the Great Dividing Range where they congregate in caves around the area of Mount Bogong in the Bogong National Park.

They arrive in such numbers that they completely cover the floors of the caves, resting in thick clusters, each moth with its head under the wings of the one in front. They return to the plains to mate and lay their eggs on a food plant near the soil.

The Aborigines were well aware that the moths congregate in these caves in summer, so from November to January, hundreds of Aborigines from different tribes would gather for huge feasts on the adult moths. They gathered the moths from the rock crevices, dislodging them with sticks. When they fell to the floor, they were gathered and cooked in sand and stirred in hot ashes (this singed off the wings and legs). 

The moths were then sifted on a net to remove their heads, and were generally eaten like this, although sometimes they were ground into a paste and made into cakes. As a food, the Bogong moth is rich in fat, with the average fat content of the male's abdomens exceeding sixty-one percent and females, fifty-one percent of their dry weight. Moth meat is said to have a nutty taste, somewhat like walnuts.

The Bogong Moth Festival is held in late November at Albury, New South Wales, Australia, but this is a tradition that began over a thousand years ago.

Throughout history the Bogong has been an important ingredient in the harmony and kinship of neighbouring Koori (or Aboriginal) tribes in the Australian Capital Territory. 

Records show that a millennium ago seven clans began converging at what is now the Mungabareena Reserve on the New South Wales side of the Murray River to discuss tribal law, settle disputes, trade goods and conduct marriage ceremonies. Weapons were laid upon the ground and the peaceful activities concluded with a communal feast on the Bogong Moth, the most reliable summer food source in the Australian highlands. According to Aboriginal legends, the Bogong Moth was once half moth and half human. This hybrid was a great warrior who ruled the valley. He told his wife, who was painted with bright colours, never to wander up to Bogong Mountain. But, curiosity killed the moth, and one day the lure of the white snow capped mountains proved too much, and she was buried by an avalanche.

She freed herself, but all her brilliant colours had disappeared and she came home a dull brown... there has to be a moral in there!

The modern Festival's finale is the big "Kup-Murrie," a traditional feast where the Bogongs are cooked and served. While you're in the area, don't miss taking a guided walk through the beautiful scenery and a BYO picnic in the bush.

If you are planning to walk or ski in the area, make sure you follow these simple safety precautions.

Copyright Jennifer Stewart 2007