Pre-Conference Workshops

This symposium brings together multi-disciplinary research and cross-cultural perspectives to explore the deep and diverse histories of encounter across Australasia. It challenges dominant colonial narratives by privileging Indigenous and Asian knowledge systems and adopting a longer temporal lens. Central to this approach is the reinterpretation of historical and archaeological evidence—particularly archival records and shipwreck collections—through non-European Indigenous frameworks. Rather than viewing these materials solely as traces of European exploration, the symposium asks how they reflect ongoing Indigenous relationships with Country. Themes of ecology, topography, and Country are examined alongside European records to highlight contrasting worldviews and emphasise the importance of place-based research led by First Nations scholars and communities. The event also explores new modes of communicating these encounters through digital media, mapping, art, and film, fostering diverse ways of knowing and sharing.

A half-day workshop on the tangible archaeology evidence of global and Australian submerged landscapes, designed specifically for Traditional Owners and Aboriginal Corporations. This workshop will cover the development of submerged landscape archaeology globally, focusing on key regions where the discipline is well-established and the most important discoveries have been made to date, including in the Americas and Europe as well as the Asia-Pacific region. Presenters will cover the history of the search by archaeologists to locate and map submerged Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander archaeology in Australia. A brief review of published national and local evidence of oral traditions relating to sea-level change, will be followed by presentation on successful management strategies that Indigenous custodians and heritage managers have adopted in Australia and elsewhere. We will conclude the workshop with an open discussion among presenters and attendees about the major issues in management of submerged Aboriginal heritage and of strategies to ensure proper recognition by the public and offshore developers. 
 
This workshop is intended for Traditional Owners and representatives of Traditional Owner corporate bodies only.

Facilitators:
John McCarthy, Flinders University 
Jonathan Benjamin, Flinders University 
Chelsea Wiseman, Flinders University 

This session is designed for students of archaeology (at all levels including undergrad), and recent graduates. Deciding which area of archaeology to specialize in, or how to make yourself the best possible candidate when entering the job market, can be daunting. At this interactive workshop, you will hear from professional archaeologists in all areas of industry and academia about their own job and career experiences. In small group round-table mentoring sessions, you can ask those burning questions to decide whether a particular path is the right one for you.

Our mentors will share wisdom on paths through archaeological education, professional development recommendations, specialization routes, how to get published, CV preparation, and even funny stories from their own careers. We expect mentors from academia (both teaching and research), consulting, maritime archaeology, publishing, museum curation, government departments, Indigenous heritage organizations, mining, and sub-disciplines including bioarchaeology, historical archaeology, and archaeological science. Mentoring panel to be confirmed prior to conference.

Morning tea and supporting literature will be provided.

Host:
Jenna Walsh, AAA Student Officer

Facilitator:
John Bryant, Mammoth Geospatial

A new age is unfolding in the surveying and visualisation of underwater cultural heritage (UCH) sites including shipwrecks. Advanced image processing techniques including photogrammetry are being combined with high-quality underwater image capture methods to produce complex and visually accurate digital 3D models of these important locations. The visuals are valuable to maritime archaeologists who can use the 3D models to analyse and interpret the locations, and also to the general public who can be taken on a visual and thematic journey to places that they may never be able to visit themselves. Advances in visualisation systems such as large-screen immersive display systems and small-screen immersive head-mounted-displays are allowing the underwater sites to be seen in ultra-realistic and believable ways. The advances and sites illustrated in this session are helping us to understand and tell the stories of sites in Australia and around the world. The aim of this workshop will be to showcase a range of local, national, and international shipwreck sites from a selection of authors who will describe the sites and how they were captured – all displayed in amazing 3D on the wrap-around Cylinder display at the Curtin University HIVE.

The workshop will be held at the Curtin University HIVE to allow high-quality visuals to be displayed to the audience.  The workshop fee includes transport to and from the Esplanade Fremantle Hotel to Curtin University in Bentley.

Schedule:
13:00 – Pickup at the Esplanade Fremantle Hotel
13:40 – Arrive at Curtin Uni
16:30  – Depart Curtin Uni
17:05  – Arrival back at the Esplanade Fremantle Hotel

Facilitators:
Andrew Woods, Curtin University
Daniel Adams, Curtin University

In 2024 the AAA held a Legislation Workshop to discuss opportunities for AAA to contribute to and support discussions about proposed new national Indigenous heritage legislation. The original aim in 2024 was to receive a briefing from officers of the Federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) tasked with drafting new legislation, but that ended up not being possible.

In May 2025, the Australian Archaeology journal published a forum on ideas for what new national heritage legislation should consider. In May 2025, the Australian public elected a new Parliament and a new Minister for the Environment was appointed. Also in May 2025, The Australian reported on an agreement between industry and the First Nations Heritage Protection Alliance to identify ‘a streamlined process for engaging with those that have cultural authority in a particular region … [which] will provide protection and certainty for community and industry so business can create new economic assets and opportunities, while protecting our cultural assets’.

So what does all this mean for new national Indigenous heritage legislation? What steps have been made by the Australian government since May 2025 to develop drafts for legislation and what opportunities have been afforded the public to comment on any drafts? In this workshop we again aim to have a briefing for AAA members on progress towards national Indigenous heritage legislation from DCCEEW and we will also invite representation from the First Nations Heritage Protection Alliance. Discussions on how AAA might contribute to public discourse about new legislation will be part of the Workshop.

Facilitators:
Annie Ross, The University of Queensland
Rebekah Kurpiel, La Trobe University