This year’s workshop, led by Helen Green, was marked by a renewed sense of energy and direction. This reflects the evolving Science Advisory Council (SAC), which is bringing new perspectives and stronger connections with First Nations research communities.

It was particularly encouraging to see a more diverse mix of speakers and audience. This was evident in the opening panel with Ken Wyatt, Ray Tobler, Tristen Jones, Paul Hartley, Amos Smith, Mark Jones, and Charmaine Cinnabar, who explored how to communicate research with impact. The discussion focused on strategies for co-designing research, identifying community priorities, and sharing outcomes in ways that support Ranger programs, strengthens school engagement, and connects with donors.

Across the program, we heard updates from established projects alongside previews of new RAA-supported research. A clear theme was the importance of collaboration and co-designed, two-way research with Traditional Owners, an approach that is central to the projects RAA supports and was reflected throughout the workshop.

Other presentations showcased innovative approaches, including virtual reality tools for education in remote communities, through hands-on workshops by Louise Shewan, hyperspectral imaging of pigments by Antonia Papasergio & Rachel Popelka-Filcoff, and Belinda Martin’s genomic research into microbial communities in rock shelter surfaces.

We also heard about several exciting new projects just getting underway. These included collaborative research led by Chris Clarkson, Tristen Jones, and the Njanjma Rangers at Red Lily Lagoon in western Arnhem Land, supported by a new ARC Linkage Project with RAA.

Kasih Norman’s work on sea-level change across Indonesia and northern Australia, also points to important future directions.

Sam Harper’s research in the Cockburn Ranges builds on a decade of RAA-supported work with Balanggarra and Kwini people across their determination area in the north-east Kimberley, including Kimberley Visions, Kimberley Rock Art Dating, and the Cockburn Ranges seed-funded project, which have generated extensive datasets and academic outputs with direct application for the management of cultural places by Balanggarra ranger teams.

Guided by Balanggarra and Kwini leadership and focused on community benefit, this work is bringing together new and legacy data to explore how rock art maps stories and reflects changing climate over time, with future priorities centred on on-Country training, intergenerational knowledge transfer, and the two-way delivery of research outcomes.

Overall, the workshop highlighted how rapidly the field is evolving, with new discoveries in archaeology, genomics, and geochronology pushing timelines further back across Island Southeast Asia and northern Australia.

Following a decade of major multidisciplinary projects, this year’s gathering made it clear that Rock Art Australia is entering an exciting new phase, defined by strong partnerships, greater diversity, and a clear vision for the future.