Banjima Cultural Heritage Management

Banjima cultural heritage practitioner carving a wooden object by hand in a shaded work area

Delivering Long-Term Cultural Heritage Excellence Across a Significant Aboriginal Landscape in Australia's Economic Engineroom: the Pilbara region of Western Australia

The Banjima People are the Traditional Owners of Country in the central Pilbara of Western Australia, maintaining enduring cultural connections to an ancient landscape and the places within it. Their native title lands cover more than 1 million hectares, and Banjima identity is expressed through Law, kinship, ceremony, and the Banjima language, which remains an important living link to Country.

Today, many Banjima people live across Western Australia, including Perth and Pilbara centres such as Roebourne, Onslow and Port Hedland, while continuing to return to, speak for, and care for Banjima Country. The Banjima people are represented by the Banjima Native Title Aboriginal Corporation (BNTAC), which supports community priorities, cultural governance, and programs that strengthen a self-determined future for Banjima families and future generations.

Since 2005, Australian Cultural Heritage Management (ACHM) has served as the Banjima people’s trusted cultural heritage partner, supporting informed decision-making, long-term stewardship and the protection of cultural values across this vast and complex terrain.

Over two decades, our team has completed archaeological and ethnographic surveys across 110,000 and 385,000 hectares respectively, recording more than 3,000 archaeological and 100 ethnographic sites. Exploratory and salvage excavations at significant rock shelters have uncovered evidence of Aboriginal occupation extending back more than 47,000 years. Services have spanned archaeological and ethnographic assessment, cultural values mapping, Social Surroundings assessments, ILUA negotiations, GIS heritage database management and mine closure planning.

Working closely with the Banjima Native Title Aboriginal Corporation (BNTAC) and Banjima Elders, ACHM co-designs engagement frameworks, cultural protocols and on-Country decision-making pathways that ensure Banjima identity, knowledge and values remain central to all activities on Country, today and for future generations.”

Client

Banjima people

Location

Pilbara, Western Australia

Sectors

Energy and Mining
Representative Bodies
Renewables

Services

Project Snapshot

archaeological sites recorded and managed
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ethnographic sites recorded and managed
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hectares archaeologically surveyed
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hectares ethnographically surveyed
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Client Testimonial

Ed Armstrong

Chief Executive Officer | Banjima Native Title Aboriginal Corporation (BNTAC)

ACHM are engaged extensively across Banjima Country, and they provide exceptional expertise, professionalism, customer service and a genuine passion for preserving and promoting cultural heritage.

ACHM goes beyond mere consultancy through consistently delivering professional services, solutions and best practice in everything they do.

Results Delivered

Ensuring Cultural Heritage Certainty for Traditional Owners on Banjima Country

For over two decades, Australian Cultural Heritage Management has served as the Banjima people’s trusted heritage partner, building the deep relationships, cultural knowledge and technical rigour needed to protect one of the Pilbara’s most significant Aboriginal landscapes alongside active resource development. Our sustained program of survey, recording and stewardship has given the Banjima people a defensible, evidence-based foundation for all heritage decisions on Country.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is required under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972 before mining activity can commence on Aboriginal heritage sites in Western Australia?

Under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972 (WA), a proponent must obtain a Section 18 consent from the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs before disturbing or harming a registered Aboriginal site. This process requires the proponent to submit an application detailing the proposed activity and its impact, which is assessed against the cultural heritage significance of the site. Engaging qualified Aboriginal heritage consultants to conduct thorough surveys, ethnographic assessments and site documentation before making a Section 18 application is critical to demonstrating due diligence and achieving a defensible outcome. Australian Cultural Heritage Management has extensive experience managing this process for mining clients across the Pilbara and beyond.

An ethnographic assessment documents the cultural values, traditions, and connections that Traditional Owner groups hold for a given landscape or site. Unlike an archaeological survey, which records physical material evidence, ethnographic assessments capture the living, intangible dimensions of Aboriginal heritage through engagement with knowledge holders and Elders. In Western Australia, ethnographic assessments are a routine component of heritage surveys for mining and resource projects, particularly where the landscape has high cultural sensitivity. For the Banjima heritage program, Australian Cultural Heritage Management has conducted ethnographic surveys across 385,000 hectares of Pilbara Country as part of our ongoing heritage advisory services.

Cultural values mapping is the process of recording and spatially referencing the cultural, spiritual and historical values that Traditional Owners attach to a landscape, including sacred sites, story places, dreaming tracks and areas of particular ecological or ceremonial significance. In a mining context, cultural values mapping helps project teams understand which areas require avoidance or special management before any ground disturbance occurs. It is also a critical input into heritage management plans and Section 18 applications. Australian Cultural Heritage Management integrates cultural values mapping with GIS spatial analysis to produce defensible, regulator-ready heritage datasets for mining clients across Australia. Learn more about our cultural values mapping services.

Heritage management for Traditional Owner groups extends well beyond archaeological survey to encompass the full lifecycle of a project and the ongoing stewardship of Country. This includes ethnographic fieldwork, the preparation and implementation of heritage management plans, negotiation and implementation of Indigenous Land Use Agreements (ILUAs), mine closure planning, heritage database management, regular on-Country inspections and the building of community capacity for heritage governance. Since 2005, Australian Cultural Heritage Management has served as the Banjima people’s principal heritage partner, delivering all of these services as part of a long-term, collaborative relationship. 

Mine closure heritage assessment involves evaluating the condition and management status of all Aboriginal cultural heritage on a mining tenure as part of the broader mine closure planning process. It identifies any outstanding obligations, including sites that were subject to Section 18 consents, sites requiring rehabilitation, and commitments made under heritage agreements, and documents what has been achieved. For Traditional Owner groups, mine closure also presents an opportunity to reaffirm connections to Country through custodial handback processes. Australian Cultural Heritage Management provides mine closure heritage assessment services and can help proponents meet regulatory requirements while delivering culturally meaningful outcomes for Traditional Owners. Learn more about our culturally informed mine closure planning services.

Rio Tinto Ely Dulhunty

Large wheel loader loading red earth into a mining haul truck at an open-cut mine site

Rio Tinto’s operations in the Ely area of western Cape York Peninsula form part of one of the world’s largest and longest‑running bauxite mining landscapes. Mining at Ely has been underway since the 1960s and is integrated within the broader Weipa operations, which continue to play a major role in the regional economy and in the long‑term development of northern Queensland’s resources sector. Current activity in the region reflects both the legacy of decades of mining and a forward‑looking focus on sustaining production through new and expanded projects across the western Cape.

In 2025, ACHM undertook a substantial program of greenfields cultural heritage survey across the Ely project area. This work covered approximately 3,115 hectares and resulted in the recording of 315 archaeological sites, providing critical baseline data to inform responsible land management and future planning.

The scale and outcomes of this program reflect AHCM’s capacity to deliver large‑area, methodical heritage assessments in complex operational environments, while ensuring that cultural heritage values are identified, documented, and appropriately considered alongside ongoing and future development.

Gelganyem Group

ACHM is partnering with the Gelganyem Group to deliver high‑level cultural heritage strategy, governance support, and technical advisory services as the Argyle Diamond Mine transitions through closure.
 
Our role includes comprehensive heritage auditing, data consolidation across decades of archaeological and ethnographic records, and the development of robust, forward‑looking management frameworks to ensure compliance, clarity, and continuity for Traditional Owner decision‑making. We are supporting Gelganyem in navigating complex site protection responsibilities, while streamlining reporting, structuring heritage datasets, and strengthening long‑term cultural heritage stewardship.
 
This partnership reflects ACHM’s commitment to delivering corporate‑grade heritage solutions that uphold community values, regulatory requirements, and best‑practice cultural governance.

Glencore Australia

Glencore mining site at dusk with illuminated conveyor infrastructure, haul roads and vehicles

ACHM have been engaged by Glencore across multiple mining regions to support responsible cultural heritage management from early project planning through to ongoing operations.

Our work includes Aboriginal cultural values assessments, archaeological and ethnographic surveys, and cultural heritage management advice for Glencore’s coal and bauxite portfolios — including major projects in the Hunter Valley and on Cape York.

We worked directly with Traditional Owners and their representative organisations to identify, assess and protect cultural heritage places, ensuring cultural values are embedded into mine planning, land use decisions, and operational protocols. ACHM provided comprehensive field surveys, GIS mapping, predictive modelling, risk identification, and cultural landscape assessments that inform both approvals processes and long-term management strategies.

Through this work, ACHM has supported Glencore in meeting its cultural heritage obligations, strengthening relationships with Traditional Owner groups, and delivering mining projects that are culturally informed, compliant, and respectful of Country.

FMG North Star Junction Solar Farm

ACHM were commisioned to undertake a large number of archaeological and ethnographic surveys for the Fortescue North Star Junction Solar Farm on behalf of the Kariyarra People.

 
The North Star Junction Solar Farm is a 100‑megawatt solar  facility developed by Fortescue, located approximately 145 kilometres south of Port Hedland. It forms a central component of the company’s renewable energy network.
 
The project incorporates nearly 200,000 solar panels to maximise daily energy yield, and it supports nearby operations such as the Iron Bridge magnetite mine by supplying clean, reliable power.

MRL Wodgina Lithium

ACHM has supported Mineral Resources Ltd (MRL) across multiple phases of the Wodgina Project, delivering both ethnographic and archaeological surveys that guide heritage management in one of Australia’s most significant lithium mining regions.
 
Our team worked closely with Kariyarra representatives to assess priority development areas, confirm the presence or absence of ethnographic values, document sensitive places such as grinding patches and thalu sites, and help clarify legacy site‑recording gaps across previously disturbed mining zones.
 
Through on‑country surveys, aerial inspections, detailed mapping, and continuous collaboration with MRL’s heritage team, we’ve helped ensure that cultural heritage considerations are integrated into mine planning, rehabilitation, and future expansion activities.

Glencore Aurukun

ACHM were engaged by Glencore Bauxite to manage the cultural heritage requirements of a proposed bauxite mine near Aurukun on the Cape York Peninsula, far north Queensland.

The project involved extensive community consultation, survey, excavation and assistance writing company heritage policies and procedures for the proposed project in some very remote areas.

Mangoola Continued Operations Project

ACHM was engaged by Glencore to complete the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Assessment Report (ACHAR) for the 1,000‑hectare Mangoola Continued Operations Project in the Hunter Valley. This assessment formed a critical foundation for progressing the project with a clear understanding of the cultural landscape and deep respect for the Traditional Owners connected to the area.

As part of the ACHAR, ACHM collaborated closely with Traditional Owners to identify, record and interpret Aboriginal cultural values across the project area. Our team worked directly with Registered Aboriginal Parties and key stakeholders to ensure that consultation, cultural perspectives and community knowledge were embedded throughout the assessment.

This inclusive approach supported both regulatory compliance and best‑practice cultural heritage management, aligning with the broader heritage planning frameworks that guided the project.

Through this work, ACHM provided Glencore with a clear, culturally informed pathway forward—from early project planning through to practical recommendations for design considerations, impact mitigation and long‑term heritage management.

The outcome was a comprehensive and culturally grounded heritage assessment that enabled responsible project development while strengthening ongoing relationships with the Traditional Owners of this part of the Hunter Valley.

Rio Tinto Amrun

Bulk carrier ship being loaded with red ore at Amrun port facility beside turquoise water

ACHM has a long and trusted history supporting Rio Tinto in the delivery of cultural heritage services for the Amrun (previoulsy South of Embley (SoE) Project near Weipa. 

ACHM’s work on the Amrun project involved on‑country collaboration with Traditional Owners, ensuring cultural values and site protection obligations remain central to Rio Tinto’s project planning.

Our field programs included ethnographic and archaeological surveys, excavations, logistical support for Traditional Owner participation, and other targeted assessments at numerous locations across Rio Tinto’s leases. 

These activities reflect our commitment to culturally informed, technically rigorous heritage management that supports both Rio Tinto’s operational needs and the long-term protection of the region’s cultural landscapes on behalf of Traditional Owners.

Fortescue

Fortescue Zero locomotive 001 with yellow access stairs under a clear blue sky
ACHM continues to provide dedicated cultural heritage support to Traditional Owners across multiple Fortescue projects, ensuring their knowledge, authority and rights remain central to all heritage processes on Country.
 
Our work includes delivering detailed environmental and social‑surroundings assessments for Fortescue proposals—such as the East Hamersley Railway—where ACHM captured and communicated Traditional Owners concerns about cultural values, water management, Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), and the need for all consultations and cultural mapping to occur on Country with the correct knowledge holders.
 
ACHM also undertakes extensive ethnographic and archaeological surveys, ensuring site identification, cultural landscape assessments and recommendations are grounded in direct on‑Country work with Banjima representatives.
 
Across all engagements, ACHM works to exceed expectations for culturally appropriate consultation, proper protection of heritage sites, and transparent project planning—ensuring Fortescue’s activities align with Banjima cultural responsibilities. 
 
ACHM have completed extensive archaeological and ethnographic surveys for the Fortescue Solomon rail alignment, Solomon rail camp, Fig Tree, White Knight, Flinders and Investigator projects.