Audio on demand

Dr Anne Clarke and Ms Ursula Frederick revisit Frederick McCarthy’s research in relation to their own more recent analyses of rock art sites on Groote Eylandt, using sites that were not recorded in 1948, and focusing on cross-cultural interaction.

Contemporary perspectives on Pacific Islander voyaging, investigating archaeological evidence and museum displays from Pacific scholars Kylie Moloney, Melanie Van Olffen and Matthew Spriggs.

Curator Charlotte Smith outlines the development of an exhibition at Museum Victoria based on urban archaeology. She discusses the challenges in interpreting the ‘rubbish’ and creating a snapshot of life in nineteenth-century Melbourne.

Archaeologist Colin Groves outlines the fossil history of human evolution. He examines how some parts of the human fossil record appear to depict gradual change, while others seem better interpreted by the model of punctuated equilibria.

Irish archaeologist Michael Gibbons talks about the history and archaeology of Killeany Harbour, Inis Mor on Aran Island off the coast of Ireland, as part of a broader survey of Irish antiquities.

Curator Alison Mercieca tells the story of the Macassan trepang, or sea slug, industry. She considers the places connected by the Macassan voyagers from Indonesia and looks at the archaeological traces left on the Arnhem Land coast.

Desert archaeologist Mike Smith on his expedition into the remote southern Simpson Desert in South Australia. Mike recalls the thrill of discovering ancient fossil remains, working with camels and a helicopter rescue for an injured expeditioner.

Historian Philip Jones re-examines evidence found in the Simpson Desert in 1938, which prompted a search for the Ludwig Leichhardt’s lost expedition. He argues the search party may have discovered an Aboriginal burial site.