David Roberts

This animated short film traces the adventures of a young Muttaburrasaurus who gets separated from his family. He wanders through wooded and coastal areas encountering other prehistoric animals and reptiles as he tries to find his way home.

Exploring the relationship between Aboriginal people and their land (including the Dreaming, sacred places), this film was inspired by Silas Roberts’ submission to the 1976 Australian Government inquiry on uranium mining - the Ranger Uranium Environmental Inquiry. Silas, whose tribal name is Ngourladi, is an elder of the Allawa clan and was the first chairman of the Northern Land Council, established to assist Aboriginal people make land rights claims based on traditional ownership. The film, which moves from Arnhem Land in the north to Yuendumu in the centre, examines the importance of maintaining Aboriginal culture and laws and explains the reasons why they object to the mining being carried out.

In the sandstone country southwest of Katherine in the Northern Territory lies a spectacular concentration of Aboriginal rock art. Ancestral beings, the Lightning Brothers, feature in this art. For the Wardaman people, the Lightning Brothers are an important part of their living culture. The Wardaman perform traditional songs and ceremonies associated with special Dreamtime places where their art is found. Like many rock art sites, the Wardaman's Dreamtime places are extremely vulnerable. This fascinating and educational program, featuring the music of Australian group Gondwanaland, looks at the way these valuable sites are being preserved.