Desert to the Sea: Managing Rock Art, Country and Culture
2022 – 2027
Project Overview
This Project will expand our understanding of Aboriginal settlement and land-use in north-west Australia by investigating how the mythological narratives of Australia’s deserts enable the transmission of knowledge in water-limited environments.
The Project will address a number of objectives that bring together both Indigenous knowledge and western scientific approaches to develop improved management outcomes for Indigenous ranger groups managing vast cultural estates with significant rock art.
To achieve this Project’s ambitious goals, our researchers and collaborators are organised into four interrelated Research Nodes: Rock art and Jukurrpa, Fire and Plants, Collections, and Managing Cultural Landscapes.
Chief Investigators
Jo McDonald
Lead Chief Investigator
The University of Western Australia
Pauline Grierson
The University of Western Australia
Peter Veth
The University of Western Australia
Richard Fullagar
The University of Western Australia
Stephen van Leeuwen
Curtin University
Judith Field
The University of Western Australia
Rachel Popelka-Filcoff
The University of Melbourne
Emilie Dotte-Sarout
The University of Western Australia
Partner Investigators
Peter Jeffries
Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation
Annie Carson
WA Museum
Douglas Bird
The Pennsylvania State University
Justin McKinnon
Desert Support Services
Stefani Crabtree
Utah State University
Sharon Reynolds
Woodside
Collaborating Researchers
India Dilkes-Hall
Archaeobotanist
Michi Meyer
Botanist & Zoologist
Peter Kendrick
Zoologist & Ecologist
Project Staff
Sam Harper
Project Manager Research Fellow
Emma Beckett
Heritage Liaison Officer Research Fellow
Marc Wohling
Ranger Training Research Fellow
Chae Byrne
Anthracologist
Partners
This ARC Funded Linkage Project (LP200300886) is administered at The University of Western Australia, with chief investigators at Curtin University, The University of Melbourne, The University of New South Wales, The Pennsylvania State University, Utah State University, in collaboration with partner organisations Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation (MAC), Mungarlu Ngurrarankatja Rirraunkaja Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC (MNR), and Jamukurnu Yapalikurnu Aboriginal Corporation (JYAC), with funding from Woodside, BHP, Newcrest Mining, and with partner investigators from the Western Australian Museum, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, and Desert Support Services.
