Riversleigh Station
Riversleigh Station holds an important place in the history of the Waanyi people.
The colonial settlement of this region dates to the 1860s, prompted by reports from earlier explorers about the pastoral potential of the permanent waters and plains of the Gregory River.
The earliest pastoral ‘runs’ established on what is now Riversleigh Station date to around 1865, but occupation of this area took firmer hold from around 1878 following the establishment of ‘Muree’ (now Riversleigh) Station and the neighbouring Lilydale Station.
Riversleigh Station Homestead 1954, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland
Did you know?
The Riversleigh World Heritage Area was once part of Riversleigh station?
1883 - 1890
This early settler period involved considerable frontier conflict and violence aided by the establishment of a Native Mounted Police outpost at Carl Creek on Muree/Riversleigh around 1883. Some of the neighbouring First Nations’ language groups did not survive this period – sometimes referred to as the ‘Wild Time’.
Riversleigh Station became one of the main Waanyi camps from around the 1890s.
1890 - 1930
Oral histories about the confronting and violent methods that were sometimes employed to control people who had come into Riversleigh Station have been passed down from old people who witnessed it directly.
Despite this, Waanyi people made positive contributions to the pastoral industry as stockmen, cooks and domestic workers on Riversleigh and other surrounding stations until at least the 1930s, when a new era of protectionism saw the establishment of missions and reserves.
Image © Donaldson family collection c.1910-1927
1930 -1970
While some Waanyi people were able to remain on Riversleigh Station until at least the 1970s, and to some extent beyond that, many Waanyi people were removed from their country and placed in missions such as Doomadgee, Mornington Island, Mapoon and Palm Island.
Images © Donaldson family collection c.1910-1927
Despite frontier violence and social controls, the Waanyi People have retained a strong connection to Riversleigh Station.
Those living and working on the station maintained a presence on their country, and were able to speak their language, hunt and fish, and learn about cultural traditions.
The continuation of cultural life on Riversleigh Station in historical times included participating in ceremonies and trade with neighbouring First Nations groups, practising traditional burials and other rituals, and maintaining kinship networks with people living in other camps such as Lilydale Springs, Louie Creek, Lawn Hill and Gregory Downs.
Image © Donaldson family collection c.1910-1927
Encounters on
Riversleigh Station
In 1976, the managers of Riversleigh Station introduced Ivy George to Professor Mike Archer, a palaeontologist who was then Curator of Mammals at the Queensland Museum and had driven up from Brisbane to investigate the Riversleigh fossils. During his stay, Mike spent time with Ivy learning about Riversleigh country and the Waanyi language.
Above: Ivy George standing next to a Queensland Museum vehicle with Riversleigh Manager Jan Nelson and her son, Riversleigh Station, 1976, courtesy of Mike Archer.
“When I first met Ivy, I was fascinated to listen to her talk about her knowledge of Riversleigh and try to learn from her about how Waanyi had lived in the area in terms of bush tucker and native animals in the area. She knew many of the important locations around Riversleigh and went with us to visit some of these areas”
Professor Mike Archer, 2025
Waanyi Language
Many of the Waanyi language terms documented by Mike Archer and Ivy George went on to be used in the scientific names for fossil animals that have only ever been found at Riversleigh.
(Hover over fossil names to see their links to Waanyi language)
1993 - Present
Many Waanyi families still have a close connection with Riversleigh Station, and there are lots more stories to be told. Some living Waanyi Elders were born or lived or worked on Riversleigh Station. Others are descended from ancestors who had done the same, and many of these people are buried on the station.
In the mid-1990s, the key fossil deposits on Riversleigh Station were included in an extension of Boodjamulla (then Lawn Hill) National Park and added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Around this time, the Waanyi People were among a group of First Nations’ people who staged at ‘sit-in’ protest at the national park to call for recognition of land rights. In response, the Waanyi Ministerial Advisory Committee was formed to give the Waanyi People
a greater say over the park and World Heritage Area.
Over the years, many Waanyi people have worked as cultural rangers at the national park to ensure the Country was looked after properly.
The strength of the Waanyi People’s attachment to this Country was formally recognised in 2010 when native title was determined over the national park and Riversleigh Station.
In 2023, Boodjamulla National Park was handed back to the Waanyi People and is now cooperatively managed.
The Waanyi People also own Riversleigh Station via the Lawn Hill and Riversleigh Pastoral Holding Company, continuing the shared history traditions of land management and pastoralism on Riversleigh Country.
End of the Journey – But Not the Story
Thank you for taking the time to explore the ancient landscapes and stories of Riversleigh. This journey not only reveals Australia’s deep fossil history, but also honours the enduring connection of the Waanyi People to Country.
