Preserving the Past: What to do if you find an artefact or fossil
Imagine yourself walking through rugged scrub and rocky outcrops, eucalypts and their leaves swaying around you as you go on a bushwalk. Maybe you are walking down the beach, your feet burrowing into the sand. Or imagine yourself digging, on your farm or in your garden, the rich soil covering your hands and boots.
And suddenly, you find something.
Maybe it’s a fossil – a relic from a past geological period, possible evidence of an animal or plant that existed millions of years ago. Maybe it’s a stone tool – a human artefact that tells of stories and Aboriginal ancestry from thousands of years ago. You might be wondering if it’s a significant find, or if you’re meant to tell someone.
But who are you meant to tell? What are you meant to do?
Indigenous artefact and fossils can be found in many different places all around Australia.
In Australia, the laws protecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural artefacts and sites, and fossils, varies between states and can be incredibly difficult to find, read, and understand. The laws are confusing, and often it is unclear what actions you are supposed to take if you do ever find something. Information is often spread across multiple webpages, and even calling various state heritage hotlines can be frustrating and time-consuming to reach the person or department that can assist you.
Artefacts or Indigenous cultural objects are items that are related to human history. They can include things like stone tools, grindstones, weapons, instruments, and more.
Fossils are the remains of things that once lived in a past geological age. Fossils include things like bones of dinosaurs, fish, and other animals, fossils of leaves, trees, footprints, insects in amber and more.
This often means that incredible heritage material is not being preserved. From being stored in a shed or cupboard, to being reburied, or at times even being sold illegally, these fossils and artefacts may not be recorded or protected (or repatriated for artefacts), simply because many people do not know what they are supposed to do if they find something.
So what should you do if you actually find an Indigenous artefact, or a fossil?
For Indigenous Artefacts
Do Not Disturb
If you find an Indigenous artefact (e.g. in a national park, reserve, or on your property), best practice is to leave it where it is – this will allow Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander People to interpret it as part of the wider landscape.
These artefacts are part of the living cultures and histories of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
Record the Details
If you find an artefact, take photos of the object, record where you found it, and any other important details. This could be a GPS location, if there are any other artefacts nearby, and the date and time you found the object.
Seek Advice
Artefacts you find on your property, or in other settings such as in national parks, do not belong to you. You should contact the relevant heritage body in your state who can help you connect with local Indigenous communities and manage next steps and care for the artefacts.
If you want to know more general information about the artefacts and the history of the land you are on, you can also connect directly with your local Indigenous community, the Local Aboriginal Land Council, or a museum.
For many farmers, it has been a concern that finding Indigenous artefacts or sites on your land would be grounds for that land being taken away from you. This is not the case – while it is certainly an offense to damage or destroy Indigenous and other significant heritage material, finding this material on your property will not affect your ownership of the land. In fact, many local Indigenous communities would love to start a conversation with you about what you have found, how to best preserve it, and share stories of the amazing history and people of the Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander country that you are on.
For Fossils
Get Permission
If you find a fossil, you may need permission to collect it – this will depend on what land you are on, and what state you are in. Permission might be from the owner of private land or the local council. In some locations, such as national parks, you should not remove fossils. Other places might require a scientific licence or fossicking permit.
Record the Details
Similar to artefacts, if you find a fossil, take photos of the specimen, record where you found it, and any other important details. This could be a GPS location, if there are any other fossils nearby, the type of rock the fossil is found in, and the date and time you found the fossil.
Seek Advice
Fossils are relatively rare and can be fragile – it is be best to contact a museum to get help with excavation, identification, or further research.
While these simple guidelines can apply to material found in every state of Australia, you still need to be aware of the different rules and regulations in different states. Detailed information, including what legislation applies, who to contact, and other resources is available on the Found a Fossil website for both Indigenous Finds, and for Fossil Finds.
But, why should we care about artefacts and fossils?
It would certainly be a very sad world without the wonders of dinosaurs, or the mysteries and stories borne from one of the oldest living cultures in the world. By protecting fossils and artefacts, we can start to understand our history, our collective human experience, how we got where we are today, and where we are going in the future.
Fossils and artefacts can help to tell us the stories of people, places, plants, animals, and landscapes from the past, but they are a finite resource, and once they’re gone, they’re gone forever. We can trace our own evolution back in time through fossils and artefacts – a life history spanning over 3.5 billion years to the first evolution of life on earth, to where we stand today.
That seems like a history worth protecting.
We want to hear from you!
If you ever discovered a fossil or an Indigenous artefact, what would you do?
Found a Fossil has released a short, anonymous survey asking this very question, with the hope that the results can help us better understand the Australian community, and protect Australian heritage material for the future.
Resources & Further Reading:
Packham, A. (2014) Between a rock and a hard place: Legislative shortcomings hindering aboriginal cultural heritage protection. Environmental and Planning Law Journal 31, 75–91.
Percival, I. (2014) Protection and Preservation of Australia’s Palaeontological Heritage. Geoheritage 6, 205–216.
Thorn, K. (2021) How to hunt fossils responsibly: 5 tips from a professional palaeontologist. The Conversation.
Yamatji Marlpa Aboriginal Corporation. Aboriginal Cultural Sites and Artefacts: Guidelines for Companies, Developers and the General Public.
Plotnick, R. (2021). I Found a Fossil! (Or Did I?). Medium Blog.
The above guidelines were written in consultation with some of the resources listed below, as well as through consultation with Aboriginal peoples, Indigenous cultural heritage consultants, archaeologists, and palaeontologists who have preferred to stay anonymous.