Austral Archaeology

11/06/2025

10 DAYS TO GO!!!

Austral Archaeology is proud to be a Major Sponsor of WAC-10, the World Archaeological Congress, taking place this month on Larrakia Country in Darwin.
WAC-10 brings together voices from across the globe to explore the future of archaeology through a lens of care, community, and Country. We’re excited to support a forum that centres First Nations peoples' perspectives and ethical practice in heritage work.
Our team will be attending — so if you're heading to WAC-10, come say hello!

28/03/2025

The Western team has been busy in the Mallee Plains for the last few weeks.

Archaeologist Madelaine Firth captured this stunning sunset across the vast, golden plains – a magic way to end the week.

21/03/2025

Dave Marcus was recently working at a heritage site in Sydney and popped by Munns Slipway in Barangaroo to revisit old Austral sites for nostalgia. Munn’s Slipway is a site that he and the Austral team uncovered back in 2013 as part of the Barangaroo Headland Park project.

The pavers you see mark a preserved piece of Sydney’s early shipbuilding history from the 1820s, now part of the restored shoreline.

Munn’s Slipway and the amazing new Barangaroo Reserve was opened to the public in 2015, giving everyone a chance to Sydney’s early shipping history.

14/03/2025

Some sites are just too big to cover on foot!

Nicole was out in the field recently, using an ATV to get across the landscape while working alongside Brandon and JD, Representative Aboriginal Parties from Dareton Local Aboriginal Land Council.

Covering large areas like this takes more than wheels, it’s about working together to understand and record cultural heritage in these vast and changing environments.

Photo courtesy of Austral archaeologist, Crystal Wooding.

13/03/2025

The World Archaeological Congress shared a great video featuring Austral archaeologist, Carmen, as she looks ahead to the next big event, WAC-10!

Carmen was interviewed while attending the Australian Archaeological Association’s conference in Cairns last December, where she connected with peers and gained valuable insights from across the industry.

Austral is a major sponsor of WAC-10, which will be held in Darwin from June 22-28 this year. Conferences like these keep our team engaged, learning, and collaborating with archaeologists from across Australia—we can’t wait for the next one!

Link below courtesy of WAC-10, featuring Austral staff Jake Allen, Carmen Baulch and Lindsay Costigan.

We caught up with Carmen Baulch from Austral Archaeology at the Association of Australian Archaeological Association (AAA) Conference in December in Cairns. ...

11/03/2025

Dr. Amanda Markham’s fascination with archaeology began in primary school with a love of dinosaurs and holidays gemstone fossicking with her parents.

Starting her career as an anthropologist in the Northern Territory, she retrained a decade later as an archaeologist specialising in human remains and Aboriginal archaeology. She's worked with Aboriginal Traditional Owners, police, and numerous government departments to protect Aboriginal ancestral remains and cultural heritage sites.

Dr. A now leads Austral’s dynamic team across Western NSW, Victoria, and South Australia. As a team leader, her passion is being a mentor to the next generation of archaeologists, and she still loves to get out in the field!

01/03/2025

Allyx and Rhiannon travelled from our Illawarra office to meet the Austral team at our head office in Swan Hill. In true tourist form, they stopped by the Giant Murray Cod!

Installed in 1991, the sculpture highlights a time when Murray Cod populations were in serious decline due to overfishing, habitat destruction and river regulation.

Through restocking programs, habitat restoration and fishing regulations, their numbers have since stabilised although ongoing conservation is key to ensuring their future.

27/02/2025

We recently visited Big Hill Uniting Church, a stunning Victorian Gothic-style church with a fascinating history. Built in 1879, it once had an unusual lease agreement—999 years, with an annual rent of just one peppercorn (if ever demanded!).

More symbolic than financial, ‘peppercorn rents’ were a way to formalise long-term leases for community buildings while keeping costs nominal. This tradition, though rare today, remains a quirky part of heritage law.

25/02/2025

A love of history and hands-on exploration as a child led Lindsay to a career in archaeology where she now gets to do both. One of her most exciting discoveries was a set of 11,000-year-old obsidian spear points in the Great Basin of the United States. An incredible glimpse into early human life.

She is passionate about analysing artefacts to uncover past human behaviour and working with Aboriginal communities to help preserve and strengthen cultural heritage knowledge.

As a treasured team leader at Austral, Lindsay thrives on mentoring her team while continuing to learn alongside them—and she’s excited to welcome some new faces to the team!

20/02/2025

Austral Archaeology has partnered with The World Archaeological Congress as a major sponsor for WAC-10, which will be held in Darwin, Northern Territory, from 22-27 June 2025.

WAC Congresses are held once every 4 years and this is the first time it will be held in Australia.

We are so excited to be a part of this unique opportunity that brings peers, colleagues and policymakers from over 70 countries to experience Darwin's rich cultural heritage, a place shaped by its deep Aboriginal history and dynamic landscapes.

Head to https://worldarchaeologicalcongress.com/wac10/ for program information, registration, paper submissions and more.