Cultural values
Riversleigh lies within the Country of the Waanyi people. Riversleigh is not currently World Heritage listed for its cultural values, although the region holds significant meaning as the Waanyi people’s spiritual and sacred Boodjamulla (Rainbow Serpent) Country. Boodjamulla National Park (Aboriginal Land), which contains the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, was handed back to the Waanyi people in 2023 and is jointly managed by the Waanyi People and Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service through the Boodjamulla Cooperative Management Council.
Significant fossils
Riversleigh is one of the most significant fossil deposits in the world and the richest known fossil mammal deposit in Australia. Its fossils date back as far as the Oligo-Miocene period, 30-10 million years ago.
Riversleigh's fossils provide an unparalleled window into the Oligo-Miocene rainforest mammals that evolved in isolation during Australia's separation from Antarctica.
The fossils of Riversleigh have profoundly altered our understanding of Australia’s vertebrate diversity. The first records for many distinctive groups of living mammals, such as marsupial moles and feather-tailed possums, and many other unique and now-extinct Australian mammals, are found at Riversleigh.
The variety of deposits at Riversleigh has also shown how the environment has changed over time, from a rich rainforest community to semi-arid grassland. It also tells us how the animals that lived there have changed.
World Heritage listing
In 1994, Riversleigh, along with Naracoorte in South Australia, was listed as a combined World Heritage property (Australian Fossil Mammal Sites) due to:
- its unrivalled richness
- the expanse of time covered by its record
- the quality of its fossils.
