Digital exhibition reveals the rich human history under the waves of Bass Strait

Exploring the last ice age, when falling sea levels exposed the Bass Strait seafloor in southeastern Australia as a land bridge, enabling people to cross it.

MELBOURNE, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA, June 4, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- A digital exhibition The Land Bridge explores the history of Bass Strait, now a seaway in southeastern Australia, when it was a vast grassy plain people walked across and lived on.

The exhibition focuses on the time between about 43,000 and about 14,000 years ago, during the last ice age, when lower sea levels exposed the shallow seafloor as land and mainland Australia became connected to the great southern island of Lutruwita/Tasmania. (‘Lutruwita’ is the name for Tasmania in Palawa Kani, the language of Tasmania’s First People.)

The story of the now-submerged land bridge is told on a website which features a half hour documentary and a number of image-rich photo essays. There’s an education kit for teachers and a podcast series is on the way.

First Nations knowledge and First Peoples’ ongoing spiritual connection to land bridge Country -Palawa of Lutruwita/Tasmania and Bunurong and Gunaikurnai of coastal southeastern Victoria (Australia) -features in the project.

‘We thought the cultural story of Bass Strait hadn’t really been told. But it wasn’t up to us, it is a First Nations story and it’s their decision to tell. We asked would they like to work with us and were blown away by their generosity in what they shared’, says project producer Lucinda Horrocks.

Scientists from around Australia provided insights into geomorphology, the seafloor, marine biology, plants, wildlife, palaeoecology, fossils, archaeology and environmental history. ‘They told us excellent stories, like robot underwater vehicles or megafauna extinctions’, says Ms Horrocks. ‘They brought the ancient Bassian Plain to life and let us glimpse the colourful, unique marine environment it is today.’

The site also includes a shipwreck story, about the famous ‘Sydney Cove’, by popular history author Adam Courtenay.

The project draws on research by the Australian Research Council Centre for Excellence in Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH), the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), Geoscience Australia (GA) and other scientific organisations.

The Land Bridge digital story project was produced by Wind & Sky Productions and funded by the Australian Government through the Our Marine Parks grant program to showcase the cultural values of Australian Marine Parks.

To find out more about the Land Bridge, visit the project website https://thelandbridge.au/.

About Wind & Sky Productions
Wind & Sky Productions is an independent documentary company specialising in stories of community, culture, history, and science. Wind & Sky excels at working collaboratively with organisations and individuals to produce high quality productions. They adopt innovative extensions to documentary storytelling using written essays, images, digital exhibitions, and live events to engage audiences. Known for their surprising stories about real people Wind & Sky’s award-winning work is distributed online, has toured international festivals, is screened at dedicated events and is on permanent display at museums and cultural institutions.

More information about Wind & Sky Productions is available at https://windsky.com.au/

Lucinda Horrocks
Wind and Sky Productions
+61 423 126 697
enquire@windsky.com.au
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