Mitchell Shire has a long and rich Aboriginal and historic history, and archaeological evidence is scattered throughout our lands.
These stone artefacts are just a small example of what has been uncovered on Taungurung Country during Cultural Heritage Management Plans, one of the processes under the legislation to assess and protect archaeological heritage.
Each of these artefacts has a story to tell and that is what makes archaeology so interesting and significant. They show natural resource use to make stone tools for a wide spectrum of activities, but they can also tell:
- What type of materials they were used on
- What functions they had in the past
- Where was their raw material acquired and more
The context of the artefacts and their spatial distribution on the ground can provide very important clues towards the study of past organisation and, in the case of Aboriginal Culture, even aspects of how different areas of Country were managed.
It is for this reason that archaeology is a long process, where attention should be given to every single detail of an artefact, its location, the soil, and the landscape. It is also for this reason that some types of developments that result in ground disturbance require an archaeological assessment. We don’t want developments erasing important teachings from the past that can be useful still today!
Photograph by Chris Kaskadanis of Archaeology Solutions Australia and permission for use by Taungurung Land and Water Council
