A 65,000-Year History Map

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has attempted to tell the 65,000-year history of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Its Deep Time project brings to the fore the stories of Country from First Nations knowledge holders. The project combines modern scientific understanding of the Oceania region with the traditional knowledge and culture of the peoples who have inhabited it for tens of thousands of years.

One of the paths through Deep Time is via Place, an interactive map that allows users to explore the cultural stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples by location. By clicking on a marker, you can read about significant places and the cultural stories associated with that part of Country. For example, the map tells the story of the songlines of the Wudjari people, which are used to both navigate and care for the land.

The map also includes a layer showing the landmass as it existed 25,000 years ago, when sea levels were at their lowest since human occupation. At that time, people could have walked to the Whitsundays, Kangaroo Island, and Rottnest Island. No modern place-name labels are imposed on the map, and its background is inspired by First Nations dot paintings.