Australian archaeology is known for its youthful energy, diversity of approaches, and integration of Indigenous and Western knowledges using modern techniques and technologies. Archaeologists learning their trade in Australia are immersed in the deep antiquity of human presence and continuing connections modern communities maintain on this continent. Nowhere else is archaeology as alive as it is on the Australian continent.

Increasingly, however, archaeologists in Australia (as elsewhere) are being pushed to make connections outside of their discipline in order to produce work which can be classified as interdisciplinary. This push isn’t from peers seeking to grow our understanding of the human story, but rather from university administrators seeking to increase the standing of their institutions.