With 60,000 years of continuous culture, Aboriginal cultural heritage doesn’t disappear when landscapes have been changed – even in a man-made rail corridor. That’s why cultural heritage surveys are an important part of construction project planning.
Anne McLean, ARTC Environment Business Partner, recently joined representatives from the Barengi Gadjin Land Council (BGLC) to survey sites at Kaniva and Leeor in Victoria to support planning for a signalling infrastructure upgrade on the Wolseley to Ararat line as part of our Network Investment Program.
For Anne, undertaking the survey on Country rather than behind a desk brought insights no dataset could replicate: “Walking the site gave us context around how the landscape has been used over time, subtle indicators of cultural significance, and areas of sensitivity that wouldn’t necessarily be picked up in existing data,” she said.
It also reinforced the importance of listening and learning from the community: “Engaging with cultural knowledge holders means project planning is informed not just by data, but by lived knowledge and connection to Country,” said Anne.
She added what stood out most was the depth of understanding gained through working alongside Traditional Owners – the sustained connection to Country, identity, resilience, wellbeing, and sustainable land management.
ARTC’s relationship with BGLC is being built on respectful engagement, open communication, and a shared commitment to appropriately managing cultural heritage along our network.