The work began when KKAC Rangers observed potential quartz artefacts during balga (grass tree) relocation works. In response, Talison immediately paused all ground disturbance activities, ensuring the area was protected until KKAC and Trace could assess the discovery. This quick action set the tone for a project grounded in care, respect, and cultural responsibility.
With KKAC Rangers leading every stage of the excavation process, the team undertook three targeted test trenches to determine whether additional subsurface cultural material was present. Walking through jarrah and marri forest, surrounded by the distinctive hills of the Yilgarn Craton, the team mapped, excavated, sieved, and documented each test trench with precision. Quartz, an abundant local material heavily used by Noongar groups for toolmaking, was found throughout the upper soil layers, signalling that generations of people once worked, camped, and moved across this part of Country.
Across the three excavation units, the team recovered artefacts. This included multiple platform cores, transversely broken flakes and complete flakes. These typologies represent primary and secondary stages of stone tool production, confirming that reduction activities occurred within the vicinity to this location.
As stories and knowledge were shared between KKAC Rangers and the wider project team, the excavation became a reminder that cultural heritage is not just the artefacts themselves, but the continuing relationship that Traditional Owners maintain with Country. Every flake of quartz reflects a deeper cultural narrative of movement, technology, and connection to place.
For Trace, this project reinforced that heritage management is strongest when shaped by the cultural authority of Traditional Owners. The KKAC Rangers guided excavation decisions, identified areas of concern, and interpreted the findings through the lens of cultural knowledge, ensuring the work honoured both science and story.
Trace is honoured to support this partnership. The Greenbushes STE highlights what is possible when Traditional Owners, industry, and heritage professionals work together: development that progresses responsibly, knowledge that is respected, and Country that is cared for.
