load and bury or “plant” their heavy surveying and
taught what we need to look for.
meteorological equipment for retrieval at a later date.
CEO of the Mithaka Aboriginal Corporation (MAC)
As we now know, they never returned.
Barry Riddiford explains we aren’t only looking for
Fast forward to August, 2017, and the preparations
artefacts such as grinding stones and spear tips, but
are well underway to retrieve the items.
things in the landscape that shouldn’t be there.
A joint team of traditional owners, the Mithaka,
Circles, lines, rock formations all help tell
Army engineers, scientists and the group that made
the story of how the Aboriginal people of the
it all possible, the Cameleers, ex-ADF Members and
area once lived, traded and had successful
volunteers led by former RAAFie George Koulakis is
communities in this harsh environment.
ready to head deep into the Western Queensland desert
The expedition is a massive success. Surveying
on an archaeological dig of national importance.
areas where there is evidence of human
And then the expedition - Plant Camp 2017 - is cancelled. occupation, trading, and day-to-day living, the
A bureaucrat in an offi ce somewhere hasn’t
items found are recorded and documented.
sent a form in time and Defence support for
Each night around the campfi re, theories and
the expedition has not been approved.
ideas are bounced around about each discovery
Phone calls are made, plans are altered, and
and how it may be related to the area.
an alternative expedition is put on the table.
Of course, underlying this expedition of
The Mithaka Aboriginal Corporation has a Plan B.
Aboriginal
land is the fact that this is also the
Using the skills, equipment, and manpower of the
land
through
which Burke and Wills walked.
Cameleers, they want to delve deeper into history.
We
all
came
together originally because of our
They want to uncover and document further ancient
interest
in
their
story and, inevitably, the campfi re
evidence of their peoples’ occupation of the land.
conversation turns to theories about Plant Camp.
It is a unique collaboration that has worked
During one of those conversations, Barry outlined
incredibly well in the past, and is about to again.
his theory... and it changed our thinking.
The expedition is back on, only this time its
Barry believes the indigenous people in the area at
members will focus on events that happened
the time were acutely aware of Burke and Wills.
thousands of years ago, not hundreds of years ago.
He believes they would have followed the ill-fated team
Those of us new to the area and the task,
including me and my daughter, Tegan, are
as it crossed Mithaka land to ensure the strangers left.
Barry Riddiford shows Tegan Jenkins, 14, and Michael Koulakis, 17, the goals for the team the following day when they will be in
command. Looking on is Dr Peter Hogan
OCTOBER 2017 | 27