Indigenous Mining History

Australia’s Indigenous people were involved in extracting resources many thousands of years prior to European settlement. Aboriginal Australians had relatively sophisticated mining operations, producing high-quality stones and ochre, as well as establishing trade paths across the country.

Indigenous people used various types of stone including silcrete, chert, granite and quartz. Stone was crucial for making implements used for gathering and processing food. Tools like axes, hammers and spears were fundamental objects to Aboriginal people. Stone tools more than 40,000 years old have been found at the Lake Mungo archaeological site in south-western NSW. Ochre was also significant to Indigenous people and was used in religious and artistic practices such as paintings, drawings and body decoration. There are numerous sites of rock paintings in NSW, including in the Blue Mountains National Park and the Wollemi National Park. Ochre has also been identified at the Lake Mungo site on human remains, indicating that bodies were anointed with ochre before burial.

Coal was used by Indigenous people as a fuel for cooking. It is believed that the only Aboriginal Dreaming story related to coal belongs to the Awabakal tribe whose traditional ground was the area of Newcastle Harbour. The Dreaming story demonstrates that the Awabakal were aware of coal’s combustibility and used it in fires to release the spirit of the ancient earth. [1]

Indigenous people created trade paths across Australia, and resources and objects were transported hundreds of kilometres from their origins.

Due to the impact of European colonisation, a lot of the evidence of Indigenous mining practices has been destroyed. However there are remains of known sites across the state. In total there are 183 identified Aboriginal mine sites in NSW. Of this there are 144 stone quarries and 17 ochre mines, with the remainder unknown. Indigenous mining sites include Newcastle, Cobar, Crescent Head, Point Plomer, and Moore Creek near Tamworth. [2] 

Modern mining companies conduct comprehensive analyses into local and Indigenous heritage to ensure that artefacts and cultural items of significance are not disturbed during mining operations. Mining companies also consult with local Indigenous bodies as part of their community engagement processes.

A Select Bibliography