A Collective Journey – Caring for Country in Cape York, Australia
One year in, Indigital’s Caring for Country program across the Western Cape is already driving real impact,
offering a glimpse of what happens when a new approach takes shape.
The challenge (where we started)
How do we support communities throughout the lifecycle of a mine and beyond, equipping them to thrive into the future
In the Western Cape, mining has been at the heart of economic and social development for decades, shaping the opportunities and livelihoods of local communities. While mining is present now and a cornerstone of the local economy, the mines won’t stay forever and this poses a challenge. How do we transition communities into new economies for future prosperity?
For Traditional Owners, the land has never been just a resource. It is COUNTRY. A living, breathing presence, carrying the stories of Ancestors and the knowledge of generations. It holds responsibility and reciprocity.
Image: Thanakwith Traditional Owner Uncle Richard Barkley
“The land is fundamental to us Indigenous people. We come from the land. You take care of the land. Land will take care of you. Both environmentally, physically, psychologically. Scientifically. We speak to the land, we sing to the land, we rejoice to the land.”
Thanakwith Traditional Owner Uncle Richard Barkley
This is more than a transition, it’s a commitment to ensuring that Country, Culture, and Community remain at the heart of what comes next. By weaving together ancestral knowledge, environmental stewardship, and future-focused industries, we’re not just responding to change… we’re shaping it.
Image: Indigital team on Country harvesting milkwood with Uncle Lex, Gabe, and Uncle Alair.
The approach (how we do it differently)
Indigital’s intermediary role – driving collective action.
The Rio Tinto partnership and how they committed to a new way forward.
Through our Caring for Country program, we take the time to be present. To sit with Traditional Owners, Elders, and young people, listening to their aspirations, concerns, and vision for what comes next in their community.
“We need to have our children embrace and embed those kind of positive thought processes that can help them get up, stand up and move forward in life...... if you get rid of that tunnel vision, and open your peripherals, you'll see that there is a lot that can be done and that we can contribute not just for ourselves, but our families and our community as a whole”
Algnith Traditional Owner Uncle Ernest Madua Jnr.
Image: Algnith Traditional Owner Uncle Ernest Madua Jnr sharing spear story as part of the Weipa Masterclass.
This is not a one size fits all approach. It is a long-term commitment centered around reciprocity and in walking alongside communities, co-creating solutions that live beyond a plan or a report. Implementing solutions on the ground, tailored to the specific needs of the community.
Indigital’s partnership with Rio Tinto reflects this shift. Together, we’re delivering a new model that isn’t just about compliance, it’s about meaningful restoration and the deep integration of Indigenous ways of being, doing, and knowing.
Over the past year, this commitment has come to life through the Caring for Country: Growing Conservation through Digital Literacy program. In partnership with Rio Tinto, this initiative strengthens environmental stewardship, protects cultural knowledge, language, and builds digital skills for future economic pathways.
Image: Indigital CEO and Founder Mikaela Jade with Indigital Caring for Country lead Lindsay Davies talk tech on Country with Aunty Melanie and her daughter Tanaya OBrien
“We are proud to be working with Indigital on this unique project, which is harnessing the power of Traditional Owners’ deep cultural knowledge of their land and water for everyone’s benefit and building opportunities for future generations.” Rio Tinto Chief Executive, Australia, Kellie Parker said.
At the heart of this work is time on Country. In the program’s first year, what we call our Discovery and Scoping Phase, the team worked across Western Cape communities, conducting cybernetic research, on-Country yarns, and community readiness assessments.
Image: Caring for Country Masterclass in Weipa
Through program delivery, we have worked alongside Traditional Owners, Elders, young people, and educators to integrate digital technologies into conservation efforts:
Masterclasses in Weipa, Napranum, Mapoon, and Aurukun connected communities with digital storytelling, cultural knowledge sharing, and conservation technologies.
Teach It Together Workshops equipped teachers and community facilitators to embed digital skills including AR and VR into schools and community spaces like PCYC, sharing their cultural knowledge
Already, two out of four communities have progressed to the Do It Yourself phase, independently using provided curricula with remote support from Indigital.
“Well, sitting down, learning this, what you're gonna teach us with this new technology....it's good we share our culture through this way so everyone can see that we still got our culture, you know, its alive. You know, it's been passed on from generation to generation. So I would like to keep carrying on doing all these, you know, cultural way and all these cultural stuff, telling our stories. It will help us to protect our country, protect our sacred sites”
Wathayn/Alngith Traditional Owner Uncle Herbert.
Wathayn/Alngith Traditional Owner Uncle Herbert
Image: Wathayn/Alngith Traditional Owner Uncle Herbert and Thanakwith Wathayn Traditional Owner Aunty Lorraine Coconut
Image: Indigital Caring for Country lead Lindsay Davies and Aunty Melanie exploring the potential of the Indigital Storytelling Platform on Country.
The impact (what’s changing, and what’s next)
The big-picture impact – setting a precedent for how mining companies engage with First Nations knowledge.
In Aurukun, Weipa, Mapoon and Napranum, Community Elders and Traditional Owners are leading the conversation about the future of their Country. Young people are learning from Elders, reconnecting with cultural practices, and exploring new pathways in conservation, technology, and land management.
“I'm hoping this will be a continued learning tool into the future, because it's one way of indirectly bringing our people, both our worlds together, the mainstream and Western life and our first nation cultural Aboriginal, Torres Strait way of life to fuse it together, to build that bridge where everyone is unknowingly knowing working together. Algnith Traditional Owner Uncle Ernest Madua Jnr said.
Image: Mbaiwum-Trotj / Alngith woman Ebony Doyle explores the technology on offer at the Masterclass in Weipa.
Baseline data collection showed that while 83% of participants see technology as a tool for cultural learning, only 39% feel confident using AR, and just 16% have foundational AI/ML knowledge—highlighting a clear need for targeted skill-building.
Cultural preservation has emerged as a key focus, with communities using VR and AR to safeguard intergenerational knowledge.
Water quality and land restoration were identified as priority areas, shaping next year’s efforts to incorporate water monitoring technologies and digital twinning into conservation strategies.
A dedicated Aboriginal Community Reference Group (ACRG) ensures cultural protocols and Indigenous Cultural Intellectual Property (ICIP) are respected at every stage.
"This is not just about one site. It’s about shifting the way an industry thinks about land, responsibility, and the power of Indigenous knowledge to lead us toward a truly sustainable future. This is what true regeneration looks like, not just the healing of landscapes, but the strengthening of people, culture, and futures.” Indigital CEO and Founder, Mikaela Jade said.
This work is as much about fostering trust, relationships, and community-led decision-making than it is about delivering a program.
