Bev Slater's eyes well with tears of gratitude as she stands on the land of her forefathers, her hand on her heart, overlooking the sensuously shaped hills that indicate the women's site that her maternal ancestors once frequented.
Ms Slater feels privileged to be here, amid the red dirt and wildflowers, where her ancestors once gathered to seek fertility and give birth to new generations of her people — the Badimia.
It's just one site of many here in the beating red heart of the Murchison that forms part of 114,00 hectares of former pastoral stations and unallocated crown land added to the state's conservation reserves.
The new Midwest reserves are part of an even greater state government bid to create five million hectares of new land and marine parks and reserves across the state as part of its Plan for our Parks program.
As part of the initiative, the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) is inviting traditional owners like Ms Slater back to their country to jointly manage the land.
With stock removed and the region enjoying its best winter rains in years, the Badimia believe their ancestors are already rejoicing at their people's return to country.
"We look at it in terms of looking at the country today — it's coming back, it's starting to look great and beautiful and healthy again and that says to us we're doing the right thing," Ms Slater said.
Honouring Dreaming stories
For the Badimia, helping to manage their land is not just about protecting nature but about preserving cultural sites honouring the land's stories. For this is country rich in cultural heritage and Dreamtime tales.
Not far from the birthing site, Badimia elder Darryl Fogarty points out more sites of Dreamtime significance.
The waters behind him show the path of the Dreamtime serpent — the Bimarra — which once travelled through the region sculpting the hills and waterways as it travelled. And a white place in the cliffs indicates the place where good spirits live.
"If your spirit is good, you'll come back there as part of the country," Mr Fogarty said.
Further away still is a rocky outcrop that rises abruptly from the surrounding plains and shelters engravings and ochre-painted art. No-one is sure how old the artwork is, but the Badimia are determined to ensure its protection.
And all around are artefacts, liked chipped stones, and significant places like rock holes and waterways, which Badimia people once frequented for their life-sustaining waters.
New opportunities
Both DBCA and the Badimia elders hope the joint management of Badimia country will spark new opportunities for younger Badimia people.
DBCA already plans to recruit Aboriginal rangers to work on country, based at the former Thundelarra Station pastoral lease. They've begun cultural mapping to identify and protect important sites. And they hope to kickstart plans for Aboriginal tourism.
Nearby station owner and Badimia elder Ashley Bell is excited by the prospects.
"There will be opportunities here for tourism and telling Badimia stories, cultural tourism, and once the kids learn those they get a pride in themselves to tell their stories and know this is their country," he said.
Mr Fogarty agrees: "This gives them a chance to be somebody and make a life for themselves".
Guardian of the waters
The new management arrangements also enable Badimia elders to fulfil their responsibility to take care of their lands.
For elder Allan Leggerini this is particularly important as he was hand-selected for the task as a child.
Mr Leggerini remembers an elderly woman from afar seeking him out, based on a moon-shaped birthmark on his cheek, and conducting a ceremony in language to appoint him a guardian of the Dreamtime serpent the Bimarra and the waters it inhabits.
Later, when a drought befell the land for years, it was Mr Leggerini and his grandmother who were charged with helping to bring life-giving rains.
"We got this water and threw it all around the caves, the walls and all that and the next morning we woke up and I could hear this noise and it was frogs and you could hear the waterfall roaring," Mr Leggerini said.
"I looked around and the dam was full and there was water all around the lake."
Walking together
While the Badimia are grateful for the opportunity to have a say in the way their traditional lands are managed, DBCA staff say they are just as appreciative.
For joint management coordinator Emma Hazelton, working with the Badimia has helped her better understand the trials her own family experienced as part of the Stolen Generations.
She has also gained a better traditional understanding of the land, while she and her colleagues have passed on scientific knowledge about the land, plants and animals.
"It gives the opportunity for cross-cultural learning, scientific learning, and the opportunity to walk together on this new path," Ms Hazelton said.
"It's been amazing, and when I see the traditional owners and the way they feel about it and their emotions it's a really good feeling that this is my job and I get to do this. I'm very lucky."
