Ask an Archaeologist - Stirling Smith Ask an Archaeologist - Stirling Smith  

I originally started off wanting to be a marine biologist. I had worked in the dive industry for many years, and always had a passion for the sea.  However, once I started doing my degree, I took archaeology and I fell in love with it. Then one of my lecturers said to me, do you realise you can do archaeology in the water and combine two of your passions together, diving and heritage? I thought "that's for me" and that's what got me into the field.

I started off with an undergraduate degree in archaeology and then I did a post-grad in maritime archaeology. After that, I moved into consultancy, working for archaeological consultancy firms. I then worked for the State Government, Commonwealth Government, and as a sole trader. So there's a lot of different ways that you can get into archaeology and find paid employment. Archaeology can also lead to other careers, like it has for me.

I always find this question a bit hard to answer.  I've been lucky, there's so many highlights in my career.

• I have worked with Aboriginal communities in Cape York, looking at rock art sites. That was an amazing experience.
• I've been fortunate enough to excavate major shipwrecks like the HMS Pandora which was transporting some of the Mutineers from the Bounty back to England. It sank after hitting a reef in North Queensland in 1791.
• I've have worked in Antarctica as the archaeologist for the Mawsons Huts Foundation.
• I have also surveyed World War II shipwrecks and aircraft wrecks in the Soloman Islands.
• I now love working with the Navy collections and communities at the Australian National Maritime Museum.

I suppose again, that shows there's just so much variety in archaeology. There are so many things you can do in this career.

Probably the most challenging site I've ever worked on was Mawson's Huts in Antarctica. I was working as the archaeologist for the Mawson's Hut Foundation on the archaeology program for the huts at Commonwealth Bay, Antarctica. It was probably the most challenging because of its isolated location and harsh environment. Just getting down there took us almost a week on an icebreaker.

There is no permanent base at Commonwealth Bay so were completely alone. I was part of a team of five, so we had to be completely independent and take all our food and supplies down with us. It was over summer, so the temperatures weren't too drastically cold. But saying that, Cape Denison is the windiest place on earth at sea level. So even in the summer months where it's relatively calm conditions, you could get 50, 60 kilometre an hour winds and blizzard conditions. We had to wear enormous exposure suits and in case we got lost while outside we used rope lines that led back to the huts so we could find way home if the visibility got really bad. That's probably the most challenging, but also one of the most enjoyable projects I have ever worked on. It's an absolute privilege to work down there with an amazing group of people in this incredibly pristine environment. 

I think one of the most surprising things is an object that I got to excavate, while down at Cape Denison at Mawson's Huts. Antarctica is an incredibly harsh environment, snow ice and some of the highest winds in the world. When we were excavating outside the huts, there was a large artefact scatter which included a pile of senna grass. Basically, this grass was used by Mawson and his men to stuff inside their reindeer hide boots to act as insulation keep their feet warm. On top of this pile of grass was a tiny wooden chess pawn. You could just image Mawson’s men playing chess to entertain themselves on the long dark polar winter. But what surprised me was that this tiny fragile piece had sat there exposed to katabatic winds and ice and snow for almost 100 years but still looked like it had been dropped there yesterday.

I think my advice would be to get involved and meet people in the industry by volunteering where you can, or join an archaeological association. A lot of us started off this way. It's a great way to get experience and first-hand knowledge from other archaeologists.

My other tip would probably be, be flexible. I started off in Aboriginal archaeology, then moved into historic archaeology, then specialised in maritime archaeology, and now I find myself working in a museum environment. Being able to move between the various sub-disciplines has meant I have always been able to find employment and got to work on some terrific projects. That is one of the great things about archaeology, there are so many different areas you can work in, and you don’t have to stay doing one thing. 

I think as the old saying goes, you don't know where you're going if you don't know where you've come from and I think that's a core part of why we do what we do.

When we excavate or survey, we find these incredible stories. The challenge is how do we then get that out to the public? How do we disseminate that information? For me, that's one of the great advantages of working in a museum. We get these amazing objects, tell these fantastic stories, and then we get to present them to the public.

Archaeological sites are also really important to communities.  I set up a project called Operation Digger to help veterans with their physical and mental wellbeing and recovery by having them help with recording archaeological and heritage sites.  It makes a big impact.