Located in the Hamersley Ranges of Western Australia’s Pilbara, the Rio Tinto–Hancock Prospecting Hope Downs mining operations sit on the traditional lands of the Banjima people. The Greater Hope Downs hub — including Hope Downs 1 and Hope Downs 4 — is a major iron ore complex situated roughly 100 kilometres north‑west of Newman.
Cultural heritage management at Hope Downs is guided by a comprehensive Cultural Heritage Management Plan. This plan sets out clear protocols for protecting Aboriginal cultural sites across the full mining lifecycle, ensuring statutory compliance, active site protection, and transparent communication with Banjima Native Title Claimants and other Aboriginal stakeholders.
ACHM plays a central on‑ground role in this process, working directly with the Martidja Banjima people to identify, document and safeguard cultural heritage values across the project area.
Our archaeological programs — including excavations of 27 rock shelters — uncovered Pleistocene‑aged occupation sequences dating back at least 41,000 years, and potentially as early as 47,000 years. These findings extend the known antiquity of Aboriginal occupation in the inland Pilbara by more than 10,000 years.
Complementing the archaeology, ACHM’s ethnographic work has recorded dozens of culturally significant places. These include key features such as the Djadjaling mountain range and sacred songlines that shape Banjima law, spirituality and cultural identity. These interconnected landscapes remain active cultural places today, where lore, knowledge and cultural practice continue to be shared.
Our role spans all stages of project planning and delivery. We work to avoid impacts wherever possible, and where disturbance cannot be prevented, we implement culturally informed salvage, mitigation and monitoring strategies. This work is undertaken in close partnership with Banjima Elders, ensuring their authority, knowledge and decision‑making remain central to managing heritage on their Country.
