The integrated cultural landscape of North Gidley Island: Coastal, intertidal and nearshore archaeology in Murujuga (Dampier Archipelago), Western Australia

Recent archaeological research at Murujuga, Western Australia, reveals that Indigenous Australian cultural landscapes extend beyond modern shorelines into submerged and intertidal zones. The study demonstrates that sea-level fluctuations during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) exposed vast coastal areas, which were later inundated as sea levels rose. Submerged sites, such as those in the Cape Bruguieres channel and Gidley Islands, provide evidence of past human activity, including rock art engravings, grinding patches, quarries, and upstanding stones—some now located in intertidal zones. By integrating aerial, pedestrian, and intertidal surveys with subtidal data, researchers have reconstructed a continuous cultural landscape that spans both terrestrial and submerged environments, offering new insights into the depth and resilience of Indigenous Australian maritime traditions.

Leach, J., Wiseman, C., O’Leary, M., McDonald, J., McCarthy, J., Morrison, P., Jeffries, P., Hacker, J., Ulm, S., Bailey, G., & Benjamin, J. (2021). The integrated cultural landscape of North Gidley Island: Coastal, intertidal and nearshore archaeology in Murujuga (Dampier Archipelago), Western Australia. Australian Archaeology, 87(3), 251–267. https://doi.org/10.1080/03122417.2021.1949085