New research reveals 25,000 years of GunaiKurnai cultural practice through microscopic plant remains

The value of long-term research lies in its ability to deepen our understanding of Australia’s ancient cultural heritage.

We’re proud to continue supporting the project Before and after the Last Ice Age: GunaiKurnai archaeology along the Snowy, part of Rock Art Australia’s National Research Program. The project’s latest publication demonstrates how even tiny plant remains can unlock deep insights into Australia’s rich cultural heritage.

The study, undertaken in partnership with the Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation, shows that tiny silica structures preserved in the sediments of Cloggs Cave provide evidence that Old GunaiKurnai Ancestors deliberately gathered and burned whole native grasses as part of ceremonial practices for at least 25,000 years.

“Researching ancestral GunaiKurnai activities going back hundreds of generations, through a combination of living cultural knowledge held by GunaiKurnai knowledge-holders together with traces of the past so faint they cannot be seen with the naked eye, reveals culturally meaningful stories of the Old Ancestors and Country that would otherwise remain untold“, said Australian Research Council Industry Laureate, Professor Bruno David, Monash University, of these findings.

For those interested in Australia’s native grasses, bush foods, provenance and Indigenous knowledge systems, the findings are a powerful reminder that native plants carry histories far beyond their ecological role. They speak to enduring relationships between people, plants and Country, and to sophisticated cultural knowledge maintained across generations.

This research exemplifies the purpose of Rock Art Australia’s National Research Program: bringing together world-leading science and Aboriginal cultural knowledges to reveal Australia’s deep past, strengthen understanding of cultural heritage, and uncover stories that continue to shape our understanding of people, landscapes and ecosystems today.

“Our research findings with Monash have enabled the opportunity to explain the Old Ancestors behaviours which are central to the ancient cultural belief systems that have been passed down through many generations”.  Russell Mullett, RAP MANAGER, GunaiKurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation

We encourage you to read both the published paper and its corresponding The Conversation article to learn how microscopic traces of native grasses are helping unlock one of Australia’s oldest continuing cultural stories.

Front. Environ. Archaeol., 22 July 2026

The Conversation. Published: July 22, 2026

Since the beginning, Rock Art Australia has been supported by a committed community of donors. Their support has enabled groundbreaking research, the establishment of fully endowed Research Chairs, and the sharing of knowledge through public programs, publications, and engagement with universities, schools, and communities across Australia.

Today, this collective effort continues to support leading and emerging researchers, advance the protection of globally significant heritage, and contribute to the knowledge and leadership that will carry this work forward. We invite you to join our community of supporters who help sustain our work.