Under the starry sky of Quinkan Country in Far North Queensland, where proud Western Yalanji man Johnny Murison owns and operates Jarramali Rock Art Tours, KJR Founder Dr Kelvin Ross basked in the magic of rich Indigenous history, culture, and community.

The Rock Art Sites he toured moments before highlighted a spiritual connection to land uniquely celebrated by the oldest civilisation on earth, and sparked deep thought into the protection of these heritage sites. After chatting with Johnny about the challenges of preserving such significant sites, including their history and culture, Kelvin started thinking…

• Could modern technologies facilitate the preservation of Indigenous culture, community, land, and art?
• How could the vast expertise of extraordinary tech visionaries be mobilised to start exploring solutions to these cultural and community challenges?
• Better yet, what could we learn from the traditional ways of Indigenous living and the ancient technologies?

Spread out over 25,000 hectares Quinkan Country is home to some of the most significant rock art galleries in the world. Proud Kuku Yalanji man and owner/operator of the Jarramali Rock Art Tours, Johnny Murison, has toured the UNESCO observed sites for many international and domestic visitors providing an immersive experience that unravels the ancient stories of the Ku-ku Yalanji tribe and educates on the Australian Indigenous history.  

One of Jarramali’s most celebrated sites is The Magnificent gallery which houses a catalogue of hidden rock art so vast it is considered a 20,000-year-old natural outback museum by archaeologists around the world- including those who photographed this site as attendees of the first KJR + Jarramali Tech Tour in 2021.

KJR + Jarramali Tech Tours operated in partnership with Johnny Murison and the Ku-ku Yalanji peoples assemble diverse tech professionals, entrepreneurs, and visionaries on Quinkan country to explore technological solutions to cultural, ecological and community preservation.

With unique perspective the first tour furthered this exploration of preservation and protection to include ecological and community challenges prompting the possibility of various other technologies like drone mapping to preserve land and rock art through virtual tourism solutions.

What stemmed from the casual conversation between Kelvin and Johnny under the stars months before bloomed into a community movement driven by the importance of holding onto the Australian Indigenous history and culture, as well as the shared passion of those involved.

Through emerging technologies, the Jarramali Tech Tours are supporting innovative solutions for the preservation of Indigenous culture, art and land. These include…

Artificial Intelligence – Machine Learning to detect and recognise objects within the rock art data to develop a catalogue of heritage assets for protection, preservation and education of Indigenous storytelling and culture.

Geographic Information System (GIS) technologies used on drone footage and photography captured on country to inform solutions that preserve land sites by helping to map out the Jarramali Rock Art sites.

These tours encourage collective learning amongst individuals with vast experience through knowledge share and storytelling.

Learn from first nation peoples about the Aboriginal history and culture shaped by the ancient tribes that have inhabited the region for thousands of years, handed down in ways of stories, dances, myths and legends.

Moreover, share your knowledge and experiences with fellow attendees and build valuable connections all while supporting positive cultural and community outcomes.

Culture underpins all aspects of life including connections to family, community and to Country. It is important this is protected, preserved, and shared for the benefit of future generations.