Indigenous treasure found in Broadford

The works form part of the federal and state-funded Regional Rail Project, which will deliver more frequent services and allow new V/Line VLocity trains to travel between Shepparton and Melbourne for the first time.

Among the findings recovered was a hammer stone — an implement used by indigenous communities to shape other stone tools.

Taungurung Land and Waters Council head of cultural heritage Francisco Almeida said the hammer stone was the ‘‘most significant’’ object used by traditional owners.

‘‘Most artefacts we find on assessments on country are stone artefacts that were left and in order to produce stone artefacts you needed a hammer stone,’’ he said.

‘‘Hammer stones are rare because they were kept by their owners . . . the reason we give them so much importance is because they survive.

‘‘You don’t use it and drop it on the ground, it travels with you, and it’s one of the tools you hang on to — a carpenter doesn’t get rid of their hammer.’’

Mr Almeida said the hammer stone, as a rare raw material, was also frequently traded for objects like possum skins or spears, or for marriage.

‘‘They come in different types — stone and hard wood,’’ he said.

‘‘In Europe they would use antlers, but they were one of the most important parts of a personal tool kit.’’

Mr Almeida said stone artefacts were often the most accurate objects to date human occupation around the world.

‘‘Stone preserves, it doesn’t rot like wood,’’ he said.

‘‘Stone artefacts were the Swiss army knives of the time — they allowed you to cut, scrape and pierce.’’

Now that a Cultural Heritage Management Plan has been finalised, the artefacts will be handed to researchers at the Australian National University to be examined before being returned to the Taungurung people.

‘‘From the stone artefacts themselves, it’s hard to let us know what people were doing in their environment, but once removed, we can do scientific studies,’’ Mr Almeida said.

‘‘If it was used for a certain period of time for cutting, scraping or piercing into specific materials, we can tell by the marks what it was used for, like scraping into animal skin.’’

Mr Almeida said the findings were ‘‘extremely important’’ for the Taungurung people.

‘‘It’s about wanting to know about your past, your country,’’ he said.

‘‘The Taungurung community have blood running through their veins, the same blood of the people who made these artefacts’ veins.

‘‘In Victoria, it’s important to make sure archaeology is undertaken for researching places, to give data to have more stories about the past.

‘‘The majority of Taungurung people were displaced from country, so it’s an opportunity to reconnect with people, with areas they were using to manage country.’’

The excavations began on railway lines on Wurundjeri country and will travel up to Yorta Yorta country in the Greater Shepparton region this year.

The second stage of the Shepparton railway line upgrades is expected to be completed by 2022.