New drone digital archaeology uncovers ancient sites in Australia

Drone archaeologist Dr Jacob Bongers from the University of Sydney has uncovered three previously unrecorded ancient Indigenous shelters in Australia's Blue Mountains using LiDAR technology. Published this week in the journal Remote Sensing, the findings highlight how aerial laser scanning can reveal cultural heritage sites hidden by dense bush and steep terrain. The newly located rock shelters, some adorned with red hand stencils and stone artefacts, suggest continuous Indigenous occupation spanning millennia within the UNESCO-listed 1.03 million hectares of the Blue Mountains World Heritage site. This discovery raises hopes that hundreds or even thousands more ancient sites could be identified across this vast area, which is roughly the size of Lebanon. Researchers collaborated with the Dharug Custodian Aboriginal Corporation to confirm these findings through subsequent field visits.