Australian Archaeology Volume 90, 2024

Australian Archaeology

On the need for cultural heritage practice to pivot to a new Australia

Fifty years ago Australian archaeologists would have had no idea just how many of us there would be now and how a largely academic interest has become a profession employing hundreds of people throughout the country.

In 1973, this would not have even been possible.

Fieldwork in remote areas not serviced by airlines, rather by dirty old Landrovers and long-distance drives; maps and compasses rather than hand-held tablets and GIS programs as the standard; aerial maps rather than satellite imagery and drones; and at the end of it all the daunting prospect of typing a report on an actual typewriter.

Michael J. Slack 2024