Restoring Australia's she-oaks—trees with unique, drooping green fronds that resemble needles—requires incorporating Indigenous knowledges, as recent research shows. These trees, known scientifically as Casuarina and Allocasuarina, have adapted to harsh environments by using their branch-like fronds for photosynthesis instead of true leaves. This helps them conserve water. She-oaks are wind-pollinated and produce small, woody cones with winged seeds. Their dense, reddish timber was valued by early European settlers for firewood, construction, and fuel. The trees also create a soft, whispering sound when the wind moves through their needles, similar to the sound of distant waves. She-oaks are vital to the ecosystems they inhabit. They support species like bandicoots, which forage in their needle beds, and glossy black-cockatoos, which rely almost exclusively on the seeds inside the trees' cones. Additionally, she-oaks help enrich the soil by hosting nitrogen-fixing bacteria in their roots. For thousands of years, GunaiKurnai Aboriginal Elders have managed she-oak woodlands across Gippsland and the Victorian Alps. Archaeological finds, such as she-oak artifacts used in rituals by Indigenous medicine practitioners known as mulla-mullung, highlight the cultural and economic significance of these woodlands. Despite their ecological and cultural value, she-oaks are in major decline across Australia. The Australia State of the Environment 2021 report found that she-oak forests and woodlands have lost over 40% of their pre-European range, making them the most affected native vegetation group in the country. The remaining areas are often flammable and degraded, emphasizing the need for restoration efforts grounded in Indigenous knowledge and ecological science. Current restoration efforts in Australia often rely on historical baselines, such as the National Vegetation Information System (NVIS), which models what vegetation might have looked like before 1750. However, these models may not always align with historical records. In Ngarrywayt, a low peninsula in eastern Victoria, colonial records from 1849 describe she-oak and banksia trees, while the NVIS model suggests the area was once eucalyptus woodland and heathland. By 1951, the same area was mapped as eucalypt scrub. To better understand the region's past, researchers from the University of Melbourne, working with GunaiKurnai Elder Uncle Russell Mullett, studied sediment cores from Ngarrywayt's wetlands. These cores contain pollen and charcoal, offering a 2,000-year record of the landscape, fire activity, and vegetation change. The study, published in Geographical Research, found that she-oak grassy woodlands persisted through various climatic changes. However, a sharp increase in fire activity from the 1830s led to the rapid disappearance of the she-oak woodland. This was followed by the rise of salt-tolerant plants and the decline of freshwater species, likely linked to the creation of an artificial channel to the sea in 1889, which altered the local water system. The study underscores the importance of integrating Indigenous knowledges and paleoecological data into restoration efforts. Current approaches often overlook the long history of human interaction with the environment, assuming a landscape that existed without people. This can lead to the restoration of ecosystems that never existed in the region's historical context. By working closely with Indigenous communities, the study offers a more accurate foundation for restoration, supporting efforts not only in Ngarrywayt but across other landscapes shaped by Indigenous peoples for thousands of years.