00:02This sacred site on Springvale station in the remote East Kimberley where Teresa Darby grew up was damaged by mining.
00:09The miners removed granite rocks for use as kitchen bench tops and tables.
00:14We have a dreamtime story for this country and it's all been shattered.
00:20The site has now been declared a protected area, the first declared in WA in nearly three decades.
00:26No longer at risk of further destruction due to mining.
00:30My heart is here and I feel so blessed that we finally got the significant area done and dusted.
00:43It's a very big win for Gidja people in particular, just off the top, but it's a big win for
00:50the other native title bodies too.
00:52It brings a lengthy legal battle to an end after traditional owners and the state government last year settled a
00:58compensation claim in the federal court.
01:00Mullangam Aboriginal Corporation had argued the state caused cultural harm by granting the exploration licence and not prosecuting the granite
01:08company that caused the irreversible damage.
01:10They take away that snake, that snake, that dreaming snake, and they can't bring it back now.
01:19But traditional owners hope this special place will now have a new meaning.
01:23Well that's our land, you know. We'll die in that land, you know.
01:29A bittersweet end to a long and painful battle.
01:33..
01:34..
01:34I'll try something after rounding down on azure and rinds....
01:37..
01:37..
01:37..
01:37You
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