Centre for Rock Art Research + Management

02/10/2026

Vale Carole Fritz
CRAR+M researchers are desolate to hear of the passing of Dr Carole Fritz, renowned French archaeologist and prehistoric art specialist who has led the scientific research team at the Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc Cave, France, since 2018. A dear friend and colleague, Carole was too young and still had so much she wanted to do!! Our hearts are with her husband Gilles Tosello and son Axel. Rest in Peace, Carole 💔

10/09/2026

The Desert to the Sea Project has just finished its 2026 fieldwork with Mungarlu Ngurrarankatja Rirraunkaja Aboriginal Corporation - Birriliburu and Birriliburu Pty Ltd. We visited and recorded rock art and water places on the Canning Stock Route between Milyinirri (Wells 6) and Palatji (Well 9). We also recorded plants and modified trees, sampled grindstones and water sources and collected exudate (gum). One focus of our trip to Palatji was the infamous ‘Forrest Fort’ – site of a violent skirmish in 1874 between explorers and Martu. Vested in the WA Museum in 1980 as a Reserve for its historic heritage values, the Canning Stock Route passes through the site which is also on an active pastoral station. Our WA Museum researchers audited the structures and discussed interpretation and management directions with Martu, while all team members recorded the extensive deep time record of this important landscape. A highlight was visiting Ngampa (Well 7) with Lena Long. Lena was born here while her mother worked on a nearby pastoral station. This trip was an incredibly rich experience and we are grateful to our Martu partners for hosting us and keeping us safe on ngurra — and for the coordination expertise of Justin McKinnon and Tee.

09/09/2026

So delighted for our colleague Sven Ouzman - who has been awarded an ARC Future Fellowship! His project will braid Archaeology, Indigenous Knowledge and GIS Story Mapping at six rock art landscapes in northern Australia and southern Africa to reposition our perception of fire as a growing global threat, to being an artefact, ally and ancestor. This will reformulate problematic nature-centric government fire management practices relevant to rock art management. Outputs will include interactive fire archaeology maps, oral knowledge recording apps, micro-credentials, and public outreach.

Congratulations Sven! A great project and we look forward to this next stage of your rock art journey :)

05/08/2026

Delighted that our paper characterising desert varnish is now out! Led by Ying-Li Wu, this paper details our efforts to understand the age of petroglyph production in our research collaboration with Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation. This is the first microbiomic characterisation of the rock varnish from the Murujuga Cultural Landscape, and an important step in unlocking the potential of varnish as a chronological marker for petroglyphs. Thanks to the Australian Research Council, to the MAC Circle of Elders for keeping us safe on country, to our other Partner Investigators and all the researchers on the Dating Murujuga's Rock Art Project! This paper is free to download
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-61982-w?utm_source=rct_congratemailt&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=oa_20260804&utm_content=10.1038/s41598-026-61982-w

28/07/2026

Martin Porr's Blog on his Extractive Industries Symposium is now out!

Martin P***A one-day symposium was held in June 2026 at the University of Western Australia (UWA), entitled Extractive industries and the protection and preservation of Indigenous heritage: Exploring collaborative and comparative perspectives and strategies. Supported by the UWA Institute of Advance...

21/07/2026

The US Government is planning to build a wall along the centre of the Rio Grande (this river is the border between the USA and Mexico) - and this will have a significant impact on the rock art and archaeological resources of the Lower Pecos! Our colleagues at Shumla Archaeological Research & Education Center are fighting against these threats. There is an online petition on their site. Please sign and distribute further! (Photos provided by SHUMLA)

18/07/2026

We have just completed the CRAR+M 2026 Rock Art Field School hosted by Wintewari Guruma Aboriginal Corporation and supported by Rio Tinto. UWA students worked on rock art sites around Tom Price, chosen by WGAC for their management requirements. The students were led by five CRAR+M experts, and they learnt how to systematically locate, record, sketch and photograph the sites, with all data being collected under agreement with WGAC to assist in the management of their native title estate. Thanks to Kathryn Przywolnik (Yulur) and Ian Seah (RTIO) for facilitating the work; and Muntulgura Guruma traditional owners Dawn Hughes, Sachin Camille and Antoinette Camille for keeping us safe on country.

30/06/2026

Desert to the Sea Researchers and Martu Jamukurnu-Yapalikurnu Aboriginal Corporation have just finished their first fieldwork for the year in the Great Sandy Desert. Fabulous week in country! Thanks to partner organisation Greatlands for hosting us at Telfer! Two different language and family groups attended the two weeks and we visited water holes, rock art and stone arrangements and story places. Many places we visited hadn’t been visited for decades, so much tracking was required!
Thanks so much to Martu for having us and JYAC and Greatlands staff for facilitating- too many to mention by name- as our team photos show!

26/06/2026

Happy 🌞🌱💧 Here at CRAR+M we partner with many Aboriginal organisations who champion female rangers, including Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation, Jamukurnu-Yapalikurnu Aboriginal Corporation, and Mungarlu Ngurrarankatja Rirraunkaja Aboriginal Corporation - Birriliburu, just to name a few!

Together with these organisations and their amazing female rangers, we get to:

🔍 Document this land’s deep histories and cultural stories

🌱 Collaborate on keeping Country healthy by learning more about how Aboriginal communities cared for the land in the past

💧 Monitor and protect cultural waters, and

🌼 Connect leading researchers and Aboriginal women’s ranger work with remote schools and communities, encouraging young girls to think big and be involved

Here’s to many more years of female rangers leading the way 🔥🔥🔥

25/05/2026

CRAR+M is delighted to welcome Associate Professor Ursula Frederick who has just joined us as Principal Kimberley Research Fellow!

Ursula is an archaeologist and artist whose research practice focuses on art, visual cultures and the ways in which people of the past and present mark their place in the world. She has a strong interest in contact rock art, contemporary archaeologies and the role of photography. Her current research projects include the study of carved boab trees in the Kimberley, graffiti and placemaking in regional Australia, and the impacts of visitor’s material culture in Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park. Ursula’s art practice has a focus on experimental photomedia, printmaking and ceramics. She loves gnocchi and her favourite colour is green, her favourite singer is PJ Harvey and her favourite movie is Harold & Maude.

We are excited to add Ursula's diverse interests to our own - and to increase our spectral favoritism (Jo purple; Sam orange; Emma blue; Caroline red ...)!!

Welcome Urs, to the CRAR+M UWA corridors :)