The Murray-Darling Basin is the largest and most complex river drainage system in Australia. The Murray River forms the longest river in this system, yet despite its importance our knowledge of its deep Aboriginal cultural history is poorly defined, particularly in relation to Aboriginal rock art and rockshelter deposits. This project, conducted in partnership with the River Murray and Mallee Aboriginal Corporation, will transform our understanding of the archaeology of the Murray River, which will be shared with local communities and the general public to improve cross-cultural understanding. This project will have important cultural heritage management benefits by providing a comprehensive inventory and condition assessment of Aboriginal sites in the Upper River Murray Gorge. The results of these investigations will also improve our palaeo-environmental understanding of the region via the employment of earth sciences methods. This research will have an economic benefit through built-in employment and skills development for traditional owners in a region that experiences high socio-economic disadvantage.
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