Our trip to Wilgie Mia in Western Australia in 2020 was a truly unforgettable experience.
With 30,000 years of activity, Wilgie Mia is the oldest continuous mining operation in the world, also known as Thuwarri Thaa – The Place of Red Ochre. It holds the honour of being the largest and deepest underground Aboriginal ochre mine in Australia. Ochre, a natural earth pigment containing iron oxide, was formed in the Weld Range 30–65 million years ago and comes in various colours, including red, yellow, and green. It was and still is an essential part of Aboriginal culture, used in ceremonies, medicines, and rock and body paintings.
Our mission to film three captivating stories for the WA Museum immersed us in this rich history and culture, and we felt privileged to be granted access. This journey was truely an experience we will forever treasure.
- Australian stories
- Indigenous stories
