In 2021 an archaeological project was announced to investigate the site.  Dutch partners in the project includes the Netherlands Ministry of Defence and is funded by the Netherlands Embassy.

The project is supervised by Emeritus Professor Ian Lilley FSA FAHA (BA Hons, MA Qld, PhD ANU). Ian is an international discipline leader whose interests focus on archaeology and heritage in Australasia, the Indo-Pacific and globally. He also has a continuing visiting appointment as Willem Willems Chair for Contemporary Issues in Archaeological Heritage Management at Leiden University in the Netherlands. Leiden is continental Europe’s leading university in archaeology and among the global Top 10 in the discipline. In addition, he is an Advisor to the Centre for Global Heritage and Development (Leiden University, Delft University of Technology and Erasmus University Rotterdam).

Start of the archaeological research. Honorary Consul Marjon Wind makes the first scan with ground penetrating radar.

The University of Queensland Team preparing for the archaeological research.

For more information: Camp Columbia

Click here for more more information on the Dutch-Australian history in relation to NEI

Click here for a profile of Professor Lilley