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Capturing Country in 3D

Dr Louise Shewan, Senior Research Fellow in Archaeological Sciences, in the School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Melbourne, is leading an extraordinary effort to digitally preserve Indigenous rock art in the eastern Kimberley.

The ‘VR team’ visited the remote Barking Owl camp site in July 2022, camping alongside the Drysdale River. There, they captured thousands of ultra-high-resolution photographs using cameras and drones, which have since been turned into 3-dimensional computer models that faithfully capture the rock shape to sub-cm accuracy, and the art panel paintings and other surface features to sub-mm accuracy and high colour accuracy. The 3-D models can be viewed on computer screens, projectors, and most importantly for this project, Virtual Reality (VR) headsets.

Kimberley Rock Art Virtual Reality Program for immersive learning, research, conservation and engagement

The Virtual Reality (VR) team returned to the Drysdale River National Park in August, 2025 for fieldwork and a visit to the Kalumburu Remote Community School to engage with students and deliver 12 ClassVR headsets donated by Rock Art Australia. The team also had the opportunity to spend time with Augie Unghango, the Senior Traditional Owner on the RAA supported Rock Art Dating projects, and his family.

Louise Shewan, David Barnes, Pauline Heaney and Traditional Owner Ainslie Donation spent time in the field to collect thousands of photographs, 360-degree and aerial footage at selected Kimberley rock art sites. The resulting 3D models and movies will contribute to a growing library of cultural heritage material for deployment in VR headsets for education and conservation purposes. With help from Cecilia Myers, the team was able to process large datasets overnight in readiness for their visit to the school. Models created from photographs acquired just two days earlier, were available on the headsets for the students to experience!

A highlight of the fieldwork was a collaboration with the Outdoor School team led by Paul Hartley. The large group of students and teachers was joined by Helen Green, Faris Ruzain and traditional Owners Ian Waina, Bernadette Waina, Dorothy Djanghara and Ainslie for a day of cultural exchange and knowledge sharing at key rock art sites.

Back in Kalumburu and armed with two boxes of RAA-supplied headsets, Louise and David spent time with primary, middle and senior school students, exploring rock art shelters and nearby water features in VR. Creative activity sheets designed by Pauline for each of the sites were provided to enable the students to learn about rock art motifs and stories as they viewed the models and movies in the headsets.

Engaging Kimberley Schools and Communities

A key focus of the program is community engagement and education. The team has developed strong partnerships with the Kalumburu Remote Community School, one of Australia’s most remote schools, where students have had the opportunity to explore their local rock art and environment through immersive VR headsets.

The VR team will continue to expand the library of digitised Kimberley rock art sites and develop new educational VR content for classrooms. Future visits to Kalumburu will include teacher training and STEM-focused workshops, demonstrating the techniques used to capture and model the rock art sites.

Rock Art Australia is proud to support this innovative program, which not only preserves ancient cultural heritage through technology but also connects young Australians with the deep time stories of their Country, fostering the next generation of scientists, digital innovators, and cultural custodians.

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