Trace's Heritage Team travelled to Gascoyne Junction to carry out an archaeological and ethnographic survey with Yinggarda Cultural Consultants. The survey area follows the Gascoyne River, on Yinggarda Country.
The survey was for Water Corporation's proposed Gascoyne Junction Bore Collector Main Replacement, so the project could be planned to avoid harm to Aboriginal cultural heritage. Guided by Yinggarda knowledge holders, the team walked the proposed alignment across floodplains, river edges and sandy flats, recording with maps, GPS and field notebooks.
Along the way, the Yinggarda consultants shared memories of growing up along the Gascoyne, including travelling between stations, going to school at Gascoyne Junction and camping on the river. They also spoke about the river's continuing importance to Yinggarda people. Cultural knowledge shared during the survey belongs to the Yinggarda consultants and is not published here.
For our team, the survey was a reminder that heritage is more than an inventory of artefacts. It includes knowledge held by Traditional Owners, and that knowledge guides how we work.
On infrastructure projects like this one, Trace works alongside Traditional Owners and follows the guidance of cultural authority holders, so that essential works can go ahead with care for community and Country.
