Vivianite is a bluish mineral sometimes encountered in archaeological deposits. It is notable for its tendency to change color from white or grayish to blue on exposure to air. Vivianite requires specific conditions for its formation-sources of iron, phosphate, and water, as well as low levels of oxygen and sulfide. Microbial activity is also thought to play a part in vivianite formation. The majority of archaeological texts do not discuss vivianite to any great degree, preventing a more detailed interpretation of site conditions and features. Vivianite was found in 25 exhumed burials from the North Brisbane Burial Ground, Queensland, Australia. Research indicated that bone or tissue samples for DNA analysis are best taken from areas distant from vivianite encrustations and that presence of vivianite has implications for artifact conservation. Vivianite at the North Brisbane Burial Grounds helped protect some skeletal and dental elements, preserved the impressions of metal coffin lacing, and also corroborated the oral history of temporary waterlogging and acted as a measure of pollution levels across the site.

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Collaborative conservation between Aboriginal people and archaeologists in Australia presents new and innovative opportunities for community control in cultural heritage management practice. Community approaches to heritage emphasise cultural landscapes and Indigenous relationships to land and sea. In this paper we illustrate the value of a community-led cultural heritage management project in a case study from North Stradbroke Island, southeast Queensland, Australia. We document the process whereby Aboriginal traditional owners worked collaboratively with archaeologists to design and implement a method for a cultural heritage assessment that met not only legislative requirements relating to archaeological sites but also Indigenous needs regarding culturally significant landscapes. Our results demonstrate that places of Aboriginal community heritage value exist even where no sites of archaeological significance occur. In our case study we demonstrate that effective heritage management can be undertaken in accordance with appropriate Aboriginal law and community control.

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