Centre for Rock Art Research + Management

Delighted that our paper characterising desert varnish is now out! Led by Ying-Li Wu, this paper details our efforts to understand the age of petroglyph production in our research collaboration with Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation. This is the first microbiomic characterisation of the rock varnish from the Murujuga Cultural Landscape, and an important step in unlocking the potential of varnish as a chronological marker for petroglyphs. Thanks to the Australian Research Council, to the MAC Circle of Elders for keeping us safe on country, to our other Partner Investigators and all the researchers on the Dating Murujuga's Rock Art Project! This paper is free to download
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-61982-w?utm_source=rct_congratemailt&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=oa_20260804&utm_content=10.1038/s41598-026-61982-w

Martin Porr's Blog on his Extractive Industries Symposium is now out!

Protecting and preserving Indigenous heritage in the extractive industries world Martin P***A one-day symposium was held in June 2026 at the University of Western Australia (UWA), entitled Extractive industries and the protection and preservation of Indigenous heritage: Exploring collaborative and comparative perspectives and strategies. Supported by the UWA Institute of Advance...

The US Government is planning to build a wall along the centre of the Rio Grande (this river is the border between the USA and Mexico) - and this will have a significant impact on the rock art and archaeological resources of the Lower Pecos! Our colleagues at Shumla Archaeological Research & Education Center are fighting against these threats. There is an online petition on their site. Please sign and distribute further! (Photos provided by SHUMLA)

We have just completed the CRAR+M 2026 Rock Art Field School hosted by Wintewari Guruma Aboriginal Corporation and supported by Rio Tinto. UWA students worked on rock art sites around Tom Price, chosen by WGAC for their management requirements. The students were led by five CRAR+M experts, and they learnt how to systematically locate, record, sketch and photograph the sites, with all data being collected under agreement with WGAC to assist in the management of their native title estate. Thanks to Kathryn Przywolnik (Yulur) and Ian Seah (RTIO) for facilitating the work; and Muntulgura Guruma traditional owners Dawn Hughes, Sachin Camille and Antoinette Camille for keeping us safe on country.

Desert to the Sea Researchers and Martu Jamukurnu-Yapalikurnu Aboriginal Corporation have just finished their first fieldwork for the year in the Great Sandy Desert. Fabulous week in country! Thanks to partner organisation Greatlands for hosting us at Telfer! Two different language and family groups attended the two weeks and we visited water holes, rock art and stone arrangements and story places. Many places we visited hadn’t been visited for decades, so much tracking was required!
Thanks so much to Martu for having us and JYAC and Greatlands staff for facilitating- too many to mention by name- as our team photos show!

Happy 🌞🌱💧 Here at CRAR+M we partner with many Aboriginal organisations who champion female rangers, including Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation, Jamukurnu-Yapalikurnu Aboriginal Corporation, and Mungarlu Ngurrarankatja Rirraunkaja Aboriginal Corporation - Birriliburu, just to name a few!

Together with these organisations and their amazing female rangers, we get to:

🔍 Document this land’s deep histories and cultural stories

🌱 Collaborate on keeping Country healthy by learning more about how Aboriginal communities cared for the land in the past

💧 Monitor and protect cultural waters, and

🌼 Connect leading researchers and Aboriginal women’s ranger work with remote schools and communities, encouraging young girls to think big and be involved

Here’s to many more years of female rangers leading the way 🔥🔥🔥

CRAR+M is delighted to welcome Associate Professor Ursula Frederick who has just joined us as Principal Kimberley Research Fellow!

Ursula is an archaeologist and artist whose research practice focuses on art, visual cultures and the ways in which people of the past and present mark their place in the world. She has a strong interest in contact rock art, contemporary archaeologies and the role of photography. Her current research projects include the study of carved boab trees in the Kimberley, graffiti and placemaking in regional Australia, and the impacts of visitor’s material culture in Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park. Ursula’s art practice has a focus on experimental photomedia, printmaking and ceramics. She loves gnocchi and her favourite colour is green, her favourite singer is PJ Harvey and her favourite movie is Harold & Maude.

We are excited to add Ursula's diverse interests to our own - and to increase our spectral favoritism (Jo purple; Sam orange; Emma blue; Caroline red ...)!!

Welcome Urs, to the CRAR+M UWA corridors :)

From wood to charcoal: a deep dive into how wood anatomy and fire signatures shape archaeological interpretation in Australia. Discover how anthracology and controlled experiments help researchers tell more accurate stories from charcoal and wooden artefacts. Read the full study by Chae Byrne and Emilie Dotte-Sarout. https://wix.to/ytvD6Xd

Desert to the Sea Outreach Officer Emily Grey tagged along on a recent JYAC Women's Ranger trip in Jigalong, helping support intergenerational knowledge transfer 👫 Healthy Country learning about traditional Martu seasonal knowledge and land management 🔥🌿 water restoration 💧and traditional Martu weaving 👏🧶🪡. It's always a joy to support Martu caring for Ngurra!

The Dating Muruga’s Dreaming Project researchers were out at Hickman Crater again this week. In our quest to understand the age of this meteor impact we deployed several geophysical techniques, and started to drill the crater floor to understand the environmental changes that have occurred since impact. Unfortunately, the hydraulic head on our corer failed: so, we will be back! Lovely time of year and the team were lucky enough to spot the mysterious lights that emanated from the Chinese rock launch on Saturday night! Thanks to KNAC representatives Jimmy and Slim for keeping us safe on-county.