Documentary revisits Ngarrindjeri women's fight to protect sacred knowledge from Hindmarsh Island bridge

‘Kumarangk: Sacred Women’s Business’ premieres at Adelaide film festival, telling the story of secret women’s business and a decades-long battle

By LineZotpaper

Published17 October 2026

Read Time3 min

A new documentary, ‘Kumarangk: Sacred Women’s Business’, will have its global premiere this weekend at the Adelaide film festival, revisiting the Hindmarsh Island bridge affair and the Ngarrindjeri women who fought to keep their sacred knowledge secret while opposing a development they said would destroy their cultural site.

The feature documentary, directed by Ngarrindjeri/Wotjobaluk woman Tracey Rigney, weaves archival footage with contemporary interviews to re-examine the clash of sacred, cultural and land rights with property developers’ ambitions.

In 1989, developers Tom and Wendy Chapman proposed a bridge linking the mainland town of Goolwa, near the mouth of the Murray River, to Kumarangk (Hindmarsh Island). The bridge was intended to funnel more people towards a marina being built on the island. However, the tiny island was a Ngarrindjeri women’s place for birth, burial and women’s business. The women opposed the bridge, citing sacred knowledge that they could not reveal to men.

The documentary includes voices from the women involved, including Dr Doreen Kartinyeri, who ultimately placed the secret information in an envelope for then Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs minister Robert Tickner. Tickner had the power to ban the bridge for 25 years but needed more information. The ban was imposed, sparking a fierce backlash.

“It was after that that things just went apeshit,” one of the women, Saunders, says in the film. The ban angered politicians and developers, and the affair became a protracted legal and political battle involving state and federal governments, the media and the courts.

Rigney, who was a teenager when the events unfolded, takes her own daughter to Kumarangk by boat at the film’s opening. “Because we hate that bridge,” she says. “That bridge almost broke our mob.”

Anthropologist Dr Deane Fergie notes that the Chapmans wanted the bridge “so yachties could come”. The women describe how more than 150 women gathered in Goolwa to discuss their opposition, each holding a piece of the cultural puzzle.

Aunty Eunice Aston recalls how the women talked about the island’s role in the Seven Sisters’ songline, about growing up and womanhood, and about how the bridge would cross sacred waters. Old burial practices were also part of the secret knowledge: the dead were “smoked” on nearby Mundoo Island and their bones taken to Kumarangk.

Despite these beliefs, the state government gave the bridge the go-ahead. Tickner’s intervention led to a ban, but the controversy continued. The documentary charts the complicated cultural, legal and political battles, punctuated by deeply human moments.

Analysis

Why This Matters

The documentary brings renewed attention to the protection of Indigenous sacred knowledge and how it can be legally recognised without being publicly revealed.
The Hindmarsh Island bridge affair remains a landmark case in Australian native title and cultural heritage law, with implications for future development on culturally significant land.
By sharing the story from the women’s perspective, the film could shape public understanding of the costs and resilience involved in defending secret women’s business.

Background

The Hindmarsh Island bridge affair began in 1989 when developers proposed a bridge from Goolwa to Kumarangk. Ngarrindjeri women objected on the grounds that the island and surrounding waters were central to secret women’s spiritual and burial traditions. After a federal intervention, a 25-year ban was imposed, leading to a fierce political backlash. The affair became a cause celebre, with accusations that the women’s claims were fabricated. A subsequent Royal Commission found no evidence of fabrication, but the controversy left deep scars. The bridge was eventually built in 2001. The documentary revisits these events through the eyes of the women who lived through them.

Key Perspectives

Ngarrindjeri women: The island is a sacred site for birth, burial and women’s business. Their knowledge could not be publicly disclosed, placing them in a difficult position of having to defend their culture on terms set by a legal system that did not fully accommodate secret traditions. Developers and supporters: The Chapman family and some politicians argued that the bridge and marina development were legitimate economic projects, and they questioned the veracity of the women’s claims. The film notes that the ban infuriated many people. Critics and skeptics: While not directly featured in the article, those who doubted the claims fuelled a narrative of fabrication. The film’s aim is to correct that narrative by centring the women’s voices and showing the enduring harm caused by disbelief.

What to Watch

Reception of the documentary at the Adelaide film festival and whether it prompts renewed debate over cultural heritage protections.
Any statements from government or heritage bodies in response to the film’s release.
Potential calls for stronger legal safeguards for secret sacred knowledge in development approval processes.

Sources

‘That bridge almost broke our mob’: the Ngarrindjeri warrior women and the fight to preserve sacred knowledge — Australia news | The Guardian