Five Indigenous cultural sites you should've heard of

Editor's note

The recent World Heritage listing for Victoria’s Budj Bim Cultural Landscape was an historic event. For the first time, an Australian Indigenous site was listed purely for its cultural values.

But as Claire Smith, Gary Jackson and Jordan Ralph write, Budj Bim is merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to our Indigenous cultural heritage.

Today they nominate five other sites worthy of our attention: from spectacular rock art landscapes to the sacred place Ngarrabullgan in north Queensland to shell middens and possible seal hunting hides in Western Tasmania.

Suzy Freeman-Greene

Section Editor: Arts + Culture

Top story

Ranger Trevor Bramwell on the walk up to the Split Rock art galleries in Cape York’s Quinkan Country in 2017. Rebekah Ison/AAP

Budj Bim’s world heritage listing is an Australian first – what other Indigenous cultural sites could be next?

Claire Smith, Flinders University; Gary Jackson, Flinders University; Jordan Ralph, Flinders University

The World Heritage Listing for Victoria's Budj Bim fish traps was ground-breaking. Here are five other Australian Indigenous sites that also deserve greater attention.

Academics in precarious employment struggle to feel a strong sense of self. Nathan Dumlao/Unsplash

Dependent and vulnerable: the experiences of academics on casual and insecure contracts

Kate Bone, Massey University

Academics on casual contracts often feel vulnerable and of lower status than "permanent" staff members. They can minimise their exploitation as if it's part of the authentic academic experience.

The Galilee waterhole is part of the area potentially affected by Adani’s Carmichael mine. Stop Adani

Adani has set a dangerous precedent in requesting scientists’ names

Samantha Hepburn, Deakin University

Adani's request for the names of individual scientists reviewing their groundwater management plan has chilling implications for scientific independence.

Artists Damon Kowarsky and Hyunju Kim produced a series of 51 artistic interpretations of elements from the Periodic Table.

When an artist looks at a chemical element, what do they see?

Mark Blaskovich, The University of Queensland; Frances Separovic, University of Melbourne

From heavy metal to lighter than air gas, these elements and others from the Periodic Table are transformed into artworks that go on display from today.

Politics + Society

First-ever Australian study shows how yoga can improve the lives of prisoners

Anthony Hopkins, Australian National University; Lisa Oxman, Australian National University; Lorana Bartels, Australian National University

Prisoners who took part in an eight-week yoga trial in a Canberra prison showed improvements in their levels of depression, anxiety and stress, as well as an increase in self-esteem.
US House of Representatives condemns racist tweets in another heady week under President Donald Trump

Bruce Wolpe, University of Sydney

With the House of Representatives taking the unusual approach of censuring a sitting president, attention will now turn to next week's testimony by Robert Mueller.

Environment + Energy
Taller, faster, better, stronger: wind towers are only getting bigger Con Doolan, UNSW A proposal for 270m tall wind turbines on Robbins Island has ruffled some feathers – but here's why towering turbines are here to stay.

Health + Medicine

Air travel spreads infections globally, but health advice from inflight magazines can limit that

Ramon Zenel Shaban, University of Sydney; Cristina Sotomayor-Castillo, University of Sydney

Washing hands and coughing into your elbow can help limit the spread of infectious diseases on planes and around the globe. So why don't passengers read about this in their inflight magazines?
‘How do I increase my libido?’

Melissa Kang, University of Technology Sydney

While changes in libido are perfectly normal, there's still some things you can do to try and increase it. If they don't work, consider seeing a doctor or counsellor.

Science + Technology
Why the Moon is such a cratered place Katarina Miljkovic, Curtin University The Apollo missions to the Moon helped our understanding of the cosmic origin of craters on our lunar neighbour, and here on Earth.

Arts + Culture
A black, female 007? As a lifelong James Bond fan, I say bring it on Darren Paul Fisher, Bond University Rumour has it British actress Lashana Lynch will play 007 in the next Bond film. If true, the move will be a welcome change to a franchise that has long remained the epitome of conservatism.