TRACKS
Stories on Country. Held by Community.
A national storytelling platform celebrating Australia’s Indigenous Protected Areas.
Every Country. Every River. Every Hill. Every place has a story. TRACKS is a storytelling platform developed by BushTV to celebrate the people, Country and communities caring for Australia’s Indigenous Protected Areas.
What is an Indigenous Protected Area?
Indigenous Protected Areas are one of Australia’s greatest conservation success stories, yet many Australians have never heard of them. This feature explores how the IPA movement began, what makes an Indigenous Protected Area unique, and how Traditional Owners continue to care for Country through one of the world’s largest Indigenous-led conservation networks.
Explore the interactive map below to discover Indigenous Protected Areas across Australia. This demonstration map currently displays all declared IPAs and marks the beginning of a growing national storytelling platform. Over time, each location will become a living profile featuring Indigenous stories, photographs, films, interviews, community news and links to local organisations. Find Borroloola (Yanyuwa) to see how the stories sit on the map.
Follow the journey as TRACKS grows into a national collection of stories celebrating Indigenous-led conservation, culture and caring for Country.
About Indigenous Protected Areas
Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs) form one of the world’s largest Indigenous-led conservation networks, protecting millions of hectares of land and sea while supporting culture, biodiversity and caring for Country.
To learn more about the Australian Government’s Indigenous Protected Areas Program, visit the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water website.
Then explore our growing collection of BushTV films showcasing Traditional Owners and communities caring for Country. Click below to watch Right Way Fire filmed in Northern Australia during the cool burning period.
If it wasn’t for Mum’s beef stew, this story would not exist. And I would not have met Colin. And we would not have shared this special time together. And I would not have learned how to go bush and shoot a rifle or cut
There’s a reason Simpson Yam has a soft reminiscent smile on his face today. He’s part of a team of Olkola men who have just finished building algngga (wet season humpy) right in the middle of town for everyone to see.
Australian hospitals, prisons and health clinics are slowly engaging ngangkari to help provide a more holistic and culturally appropriate healing space for their patients.
To contribute to this years National Reconciliation theme of truth telling we would like to share a massacre story from Western Queensland. Meet Joslin Eatts nee McCabe circa 1936… cantankerous, bittersweet, brilliant and irascible Maiawali elder from Winton!
Senior traditional owners, Lawmen and Song men gathered to participate in cultural activities over 5 days at the Tennant Creek Men's Camp.
In May just over 150 years ago in a brief period of freedom before the imposition of the Aboriginal Protection Act, a team of Aboriginal cricketers took their chances and set sail to tour England. They were the first Australian 11. Men of the Jarwadjali,
Hazel Barr is happy today. She shares an ancient sugarbag song in a language that is now spoken by only a few. She's happy because the Olkola men of Kowanyama are building a traditonal messmate benched humpy
Meet the secret weapon to our remote men's health #bushcamps2019! Troy is a Ngangkeri (traditional healer) from Central Australia! The aim of our remote men's health culture camps is to give tribal men a culturally safe place for deep healing on country.
One day two brothers woke up and decided to really do something that would make their elders proud and at the same time create jobs for themselves but they had no idea how successful it would be
Father Christmas may be flying across the Simpson Desert with a bunch of skateboards in a few weeks. Nicky Hayes is an Eastern Arrernte man and pro skater on a mission!