The world's oldest river flows through the Central Desert. A new series shares its stories

The documentary series, Larapinta, showcases how First Nations knowledge is essential to conserving Country and the environment.

Nanna Bess Liddle, Host Talia Liddle, and Pop Bruce Breaden. Credit: Torstein Dytring

When Talia Liddle got the call to host Larapinta she burst into tears of joy.

“To be able to get the opportunity and the privilege to go back home to Country and be able to share with the world what I'm so passionate about was genuinely the best thing I've ever done in my life,” said the Arrernte and Luritja woman.

Larapinta, also known as the Finke River, is dated at 100 million years old, making it the oldest river in the world.

A consistent source of life for dinosaurs to megafauna to people, Larapinta has connected communities and Countries along the length of its 700km for thousands of years.

The river holds endless knowledge, all explored in a new docuseries due to premier on NITV on Saturday 19 August at 8.30pm.

Conrad Ratara and Talia Liddle at Palm Valley. Credit: Gavin Marsh

Across six episodes, Liddle takes the audience on a journey back to her Country to learn about the ancient river, its stories, its plants and animals, the Countries it meanders through, and the people who have been sustained by it.

"What was most special to me was the fact that I got to share with the world, the people that I care most about," said Liddle.

"So it's my great grandparents or my relatives, and the people that have lived on Country for thousands and thousands of years and the knowledge that they hold, to really show that in a way that not just Aboriginal people will get, but a wider audience will get.

Carl Inkamala at Two Mile, a camping area along Larapinta. Credit: Gavin Marsh

Western science and traditional knowledge coalesce in the series as Liddle speaks to her family members, Elders and experts from various fields in science, to spotlight damage being inflicted upon Country, the continued impacts of colonisation and what can be done to restore Larapinta and the surrounding Country to its former glory.

"Unfortunately, sometimes we have to back things up with the non-Indigenous opinions for people to actually realise, and I think in this documentary, we go really deep into First Nations knowledge and how they interconnect with science."

As resilient as Larapinta is, it is under threat.

Western Arrernte woman, Sonya Braybon, is the Head Ranger at Tjuwanpa Women's Rangers. Credit: Torstein Dytring

Invasive species, damage to sacred sites by tourists and restricted access to land and cultural sites enforced by landholders have limited the amount of protection and caring for Country traditional owners can do.

“I think there's so many things that people could take away from the documentary, but also just having a deeper understanding and empathy for what First Nations people have gone through in this country, and are still going through,” said Liddle.

“It’s sad because our people need to be on that Country to be caring for it yet we can't access it, but the thing is, everyone benefits from First Nations people caring for Country.”

Liddle says First Nations knowledge and dreaming stories are often overlooked or dismissed as myth. She mentions the story of how the red cabbage palm trees came to be in the central desert – a story past down for generations only now recognised by modern science – just one example of lore holding truth.

“We really go deep into how our knowledge is so deeply embedded within this Country,” said Liddle.

“For conservation purposes, we need to be looking towards Indigenous knowledge and practices to lead this and this became so evident within this documentary.

"For me, to get that out to people, that’s really stuck with me, to reframe and shift mindsets around Indigenous knowledge from being a ‘dream’ more into facts and lore."

Credit: Gavin Marsh

Liddle said she is hopeful that Country and Larapinta can be saved and restored to continue to pass on knowledge and culture to the next generation.

“I think we have to be hopeful,” said Liddle.

"Our Old People didn't go through what they went through for us to just give up. We can't give up. Larapinta is an amazing river and it's a life source, but at the end of the day, Larapinta is always going to be there. We come to a point where we have to save ourselves as well.”

Watch Larapinta weekly from Saturday 19 August at 8.30pm on NITV.

Larapinta will be available to stream for free on SBS On Demand, with captions available in English and subtitles available in Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean. Larapinta will also air on SBS Viceland in September.