Indigenous remains found in gravel pit near Longreach
A human skull was found in a gravel pit in Lochern National Park. (Supplied)
In short:
Council workers excavating gravel for roadworks uncovered historical Indigenous remains in outback Queensland.
Traditional custodians say the remains will stay in place.
What's next?
The council says it will set up an exclusion zone around the site.
A human skull believed to be part of historical Indigenous remains has been found in a gravel pit in outback Queensland.
The discovery was made by Longreach council workers in the Lochern National Park on Iningai country.
The workers were excavating gravel for roadworks on Monday afternoon.
Police forensic investigators sent to the scene used photos and measurements of the skull to determine that it was historical.
Police have been liaising with traditional custodians of the area.
"It's another piece of history," traditional custodian David Thompson said.
"We can register that and say we found an Iningai person out on country."
To determine the actual age of the remains, a fragment would need to be sent away for further examination.
But Mr Thompson wasn't sure that would be done.
"I think we leave that poor person alone," he said.
"This poor person was no doubt buried with their dignity and we sort of want to resolve that as quickly as possible."
Remains to be reburied
Mr Thompson, who grew up in the nearby town of Barcaldine, said he was a member of one of three custodian families of Iningai land who represented the country on behalf of the traditional owners.
David Thompson grew up in Barcaldine and is an Iningai custodian. ( Supplied: David Thompson)
"We agreed that it's best to leave those remains where they are and rebury them, which council workers have offered to do," Mr Thompson said.
"They're going to put a fence and an exclusion zone around there.
"We'll go and make a grave … make it all nice and give that person back their dignity."
Longreach Regional Council Mayor Tony Rayner said the council wouldn't work within a minimum of 10 metres of where the skull was found.
"The gravel pit is one of many that Longreach Regional Council have a permit for," Cr Rayner said.
"This one had previously undergone a cultural assessment, which all pits have to, to be able to access the gravel.
"We'll work with those respective parties to make sure that the bones remain there and that it is identified as a site where a person is buried and probably a fence and or plaque will go up there as well."
West was 'lawless place'
Mr Thompson said in the 1800s, the west was a "lawless place".
"We can say they've [Iningai people] been shot out and then we found removal records from Longreach, Barcaldine and Blackall and some in Jericho where they've been removed to other Aboriginal communities … like Cherboug and Palm Island as late as the mid to late 1950s," he said.
"It's history and it needs to be told … we've got to embrace the bad otherwise we can't learn and move on."
He said the council and police did the right thing.
"They did things by the letter of the law and informed the traditional custodians," he said.