NSW South Coast Aboriginal rangers gather at Mystery Bay to strengthen Country-led care using new technology

Aboriginal ranger groups from across the NSW South Coast have come together for a three-day conference at Mystery Bay, sharing practical skills and strengthening networks as they blend cultural knowledge with emerging technology to care for Country.

The gathering brought together nine ranger groups from Local Aboriginal Land Councils stretching from Wollongong to Eden. Organisers said the conference was designed to build capability across both established and emerging ranger teams, while reinforcing that cultural authority sits with Elders and Traditional Owners.

Yuin Djiringanj Elder Uncle Warren Foster Senior said caring for Country means holding culture while adapting to new tools. “The elders are the ones who have the knowledge of country, and they see how much country needs that management” he said. “I think it’s really important for them to take that knowledge on because that’s the way we’ve been doing for thousands of years. [But] culture is always moving forward.”

Workshops covered cultural mapping, weed and pest management, cultural burning, and technical training in tools including thermal drone surveillance. South East Local Land Services senior project officer Sonia Bazzacco said the point was to ensure rangers can use technology in ways that strengthen, rather than replace, cultural practice. “It’s important for these Aboriginal ranger groups to be up-skilled on how to use this technology … but it is also a great way to work with elders to be able to learn both ways of managing country, knowing what’s on country and how to best manage it” she said.

The summit also included demonstrations of virtual reality headsets to support surveying cultural sites, alongside drone imagery used to track pest and endangered fauna and support threatened species surveys.

Walbunja man Andrew White said the gathering reflected a growing momentum for ranger programs in the region. “We’ve sort of felt left behind in some regards to ranger programs and stuff but for us to come together like this is really important” he said.

Beyond skills training, rangers and organisers described the conference as a space for shared learning and practical collaboration – including coordinating across neighbouring Land Councils and working around limited land access and funding constraints.

The conference comes as Aboriginal ranger programs expand in parts of NSW and nationally, with communities continuing to push for stronger, long-term investment in Indigenous-led land and sea management – not as short-term projects, but as core infrastructure for cultural continuity, biodiversity protection, and local employment.