The Deep History of Sea Country Project uncovers ancient Indigenous relics in Dampier Archipelago off Pilbara coast

A four-year archaeological quest to find ancient Indigenous relics off the Pilbara coast has uncovered hundreds of artefacts and prompted calls for stronger Federal legislation to protect and manage underwater heritage. The evidence of human settlement from at least 7000 years ago was found in the Dampier Archipelago by an international team of archaeologists and has been documented in a research paper published today. The findings from Flinders University, the University of WA, James Cook University, Airborne Research Australia and the University of York mark the WA sites as Australia’s oldest known under-water archaeology. The sea level off the Dampier Archipelago, just north of Karratha, was at least 80m lower than today, according to researchers. They claim the continent used to have at least two million square kilometres more land. Two underwater sites examined, at Cape Bruguieres and Flying Foam Passage, have provided new evidence of Aboriginal ways of life, including the discovery of 269 stone tools and grinding stones. Flinders University’s Maritime Archaeology program co-ordinator Associate Professor Jonathan Benjamin said the discoveries published on PLOS One Journal today were the “first step towards exploring the last real frontier of Australian archaeology”. “The discovery of these sites emphasises the need for stronger Federal legislation to protect and manage underwater heritage across two million square kilometres of landscapes that were once above sea level in Australia, and hold major insights into human history,” Associate Professor Benjamin said. Researchers partnered with the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation, chief executive officer Peter Jeffries echoed calls for stronger federal protections for the area. “With this comes a new requirement for the careful management of Aboriginal sea country as it’s not automatically protected by current Heritage legislation, however, plans are progressing to lead this change and protect our sea country land and heritage,” Mr Jeffries said. “The project and its discoveries are historic moments in time being it’s the first underwater Aboriginal site to be found in Australia. “It proves our ancestors did live and exist on these coastal areas before the sea levels rose – and that not ancient coastal archaeology is lost, it’s just waiting to be found.” He said archaeologists used remote sensing technology between 2017 and 2019 to uncover potential submerged heritage sites around the archipelago “All archaeological and geophysical surveys were unobtrusive and carefully conducted to have minimal, if any, impact,” he said. “Archaeologists used very delicate processes to uncover the artefacts, with no excavation, to ensure minimal disruption to sea country and in order to retain all the microorganisms on the artefacts which enables accurate dating.” The artefacts at the Cape Bruguieres site were in shallow waters, at depths of up to 2.4m, while findings at Flying Foam Passage were up to 14m below sea level and included a underwater freshwater spring estimated to be at least 8500 years old. “At one point there would have been dry land stretching out 160km from the current shoreline,” Flinders University’s Chelsea Wiseman said. She worked on the project as part of PhD research. The pioneering research into the area started in early 2017, with field work for the archaeological and geophysical surveys completed in October 2019. The sites were only located in late 2019, towards the end of their underwater investigation. University of WA marine geomorphologist Dr Michael O’Leary said the territories once would have “harboured favourable environments” for Indigenous settlements to exploit marine resources. The Deep History of Sea Country Project was funded through the Australian Research Council’s Discovery Project Scheme.