Ancient Artefacts Unearthed After Rio Tinto Blast Reveal 50,000‑Year‑Old Life at Juukan Gorge

Archaeologists have uncovered tens of thousands of artefacts at Juukan Gorge, giving the richest view yet of Indigenous life 50,000 years ago. The rock shelter was smashed in an authorised Rio Tinto mining blast in 2020, sparking worldwide criticism. Traditional owners – the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura peoples – invited the ABC to the site, which sits inside Rio’s Brockman mine about 60 km northwest of Tom Price in the Hammersley Range. Burchell Hayes, a Puutu Kunti Kurrama elder, stood beside the single surviving wall and held a finely made cutting tool made by his ancestors. He said it was amazing to touch an object created thousands of years before him. Lead archaeologist Michael Slack of Scarp Archaeology leads a team commissioned by the PKKP to dig the remaining shelter. They have placed a large domed tent over the ruins to keep the soil dry. So far the team has recorded around 50,000 artefacts, far more than a typical excavation yields. Items range from stone tools dating 40‑50,000 years old to a 3,000‑year‑old blade with a handle of kangaroo dung and spinifex resin – a combination experts call extremely rare. A fragment of baler shell points to trade links that stretched 350 km to the coast. Dr Slack says the finds are vital for understanding how quickly Aboriginal groups moved into Australia’s arid interior. ## Context The discovery highlights the clash between mining interests and Indigenous heritage, showing how modern excavations can recover lost history even after destructive events.