This episode of Streets of Your Town is a story of hope and reconciliation, through science.

The people of the Torres Strait Islands in far north Queensland have known for thousands upon thousand of years how their people have journeyed far across the Coral Sea, and now - finally - that First Nations knowledge is being more widely recognised.

The Queensland Museum exhibition Connections Across the Coral Sea: A Story of Movement,  brings together First Nations knowledge with archaeological research, showcasing for the first time a part of Queensland history that has not been previously acknowledged.

It shows how extensive international trade and relationships between ancient seafaring cultures of southern New Guinea, Torres Strait and the northeast coast of Queensland went back thousands of years, much further than science traditionally gave credence to.

I was lucky enough to interview a traditional owner whose expertise was pivotal in bringing this exhibition together, Dingaal spokesman Kenneth McLean, who explains how significant it is to have their extensive history given the platform it deserves.

I also spoke to one of the key archaeologists involved in this research, Professor of Indigenous Archaeology Ian McNiven from Monash University.

He says this exhibition is a pivotal development in science finally recognising the oral history of this region that has been handed down through hundreds of generations, giving it the scientific respect it has long deserved.

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