Aboriginal Australian peoples of today represent resilient survivors of a recent European colonisation period during which the original populations were decimated. Those who survived were subject to dispossession of language and culture, forced break-up of families and exclusion from traditional country. Despite the losses endured over the last 200 years, deep family lineages survived in people from the Darling River region in western New South Wales (NSW). They still identify strongly with the main language groups of Paakintji (Barkindje) and Ngyambaa, or with dialectical groups that are broadly classified as sub-groups of these. The rich anthropological, archaeological and linguistic heritage of the region encompasses the Willandra World Heritage Area and includes Lake Mungo, the site of the earliest known burials in Australia. Archaeology has provided the non-Aboriginal occupiers of Australia with convincing evidence of ongoing human occupation now known to extend into the Pleistocene. This long human presence, known to the inhabitants through oral history, supports the view that the first Aboriginal Australians penetrated deeply into the continent early in the global dispersal of modern humans. Genetic analyses from participant families support the archaeological evidence for early arrival in Australia, show strong maternal links with other Australian language groups and with local sub-groups, reflecting continued presence in the Darling region as well as gene flow from more geographically distant areas. The heritage evidenced in genetic studies from this area is a tribute to the resilience of participants, their interest and involvement in their history.