The field school team in 2022 made tracks! Working with our partners at Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation and Rio Tinto, we surveyed and recorded a proposed walking trail south of the new Nganjarli car park.
Survey Area screengrab from the CRAR+M Database
Students were guided by rock art and archaeology experts Ken Mulvaney (Rio), Jo McDonald and Peter Veth (UWA) – who were late to the party when they all caught COVID in the first week! Fortunately, other experts were on hand!
Sam Harper and Emma Beckett (UWA), Amy Stevens (MAC) and Victoria Anderson and Alex Walter (Rio Tinto) took charge during the first week and did a marvellous job training the 15 students and participating members of MAC’s and Rio Tinto’s heritage teams until quarantine was passed.
The field school recorded almost 1,000 motifs on 548 panels; nine open sites and/or quarries and 23 stone structures (and took 4,445 photos). MAC hosted the daily data download in their training room at MAC HQ.
UWA Students doing Lightroom and Data Entry at MLSU HQ
This audited data will allow MAC and DBCA to develop a suitable walking path and interpretative facilities for self-guided walkers in a beautiful part of the Murujuga National Park.
The final assignment done by the students identified high national heritage values along the route; as well as investigating the stylistic variability in the 40+ macropod motifs recorded during this field exercise.
National Heritage Listed Values recorded in the survey area
CRAR+M is grateful for the support of MAC in facilitating and hosting the field school, and of Rio Tinto for funding this annual field exercise through their Conservation Agreement for this important national heritage listed area.
Sketches of Macropod engravings recorded during survey
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