Last month, Trace’s Heritage Team travelled to Gascoyne Junction for an archaeological and ethnographic survey undertaken with Yinggarda Cultural Consultants. Set along the banks of the Gascoyne River, this landscape is more than an infrastructure corridor, it is a place shaped by ancestral beings, deep waterholes, and generations of Yinggarda families who have lived, worked, and cared for this Country.
Our task was to help ensure Water Corporation’s proposed Gascoyne Junction Bore Collector Main Replacement can proceed without harming Aboriginal cultural heritage. With maps, GPS, notebooks, and the guidance of senior Yinggarda knowledge holders, we walked the proposed alignment, crossing floodplains, river edges, and sandy flats connected to one of the region’s most significant cultural arteries.
Throughout the survey, Yinggarda Cultural Consultants shared memories of growing up along the Gascoyne, travelling between stations, attending school at Gascoyne Junction, camping on the river, and learning Law from Elders. Stories of ancestral beings, rainmaking rituals, and ongoing spiritual responsibilities demonstrated how the Gascoyne River remains central to identity and cultural continuity.
For our team, this survey was a reminder that heritage is not simply an inventory of artefacts. It is the stories held in Country, the presence of ancestral beings, and the knowledge shared across generations, all of which guide our work and strengthen our partnerships with Traditional Owners.
For organisations working in culturally significant landscapes, Trace offers more than technical reporting. We bring a collaborative approach grounded in respect for Country, community, and cultural authority. Our time on Yinggarda Country reinforced that every project, even one focused on essential infrastructure, must take into consideration Traditional Owners and their ongoing connections to place. When industry and Aboriginal corporations work together, communities can expand in ways that honour culture, protect the stories woven through the Gascoyne landscape, and in this example, ensure year-round water security for the generations who will inherit both this land and its Law.
Trace is honoured to help facilitate this collaboration. The Gascoyne Junction survey demonstrates that respectful engagement enables infrastructure and cultural values to coexist. By walking with Yinggarda people, listening deeply, and following the guidance of cultural authority holders, we ensure that development proceeds with care for both community and Country.
