Australia is described as the lucky country.

A simple internet search will tell you it is celebrated by those near and far for its beautiful scenery, its beaches, animals, laid-back culture, climate and celebrities like Kylie and the Hemsworths.

But the deep and long history of its First Peoples rarely makes the cut.

Is it a missed opportunity?

Australia is home to the oldest continuous cultures in the world. That's a special thing and surely grounds to be highlighted in the same vein.

The epic ancient story you were never told about Australia Dive into the awe-inspiring history of the Australian continent and its people — a story 65,000 years in the making.

Here at ABC News Story Lab, we've listened deeply to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia to learn more about this place's long history.

It's deep history.

We've called it Deep Time, and we've flipped the script to put Indigenous Australians back at the centre of their own stories instead of being cited as a footnote or reference.

Our consultation with communities was driven by values we saw as non-negotiable and kept us accountable. Among those values were building relationships with community, celebrating the true deep history of our country and respecting the knowledge that had been shared with us.

What is the ABC's Deep Time project? Australia’s First Peoples have lived on this continent for 65,000 years. But have you ever thought about what that actually means? How people lived alongside enormous, now-extinct animals, migrated across the land and survived an ice age. Deep Time is a collection of about 150 cultural stories that bring this ancient history to life. Find stories near you

Jump into topics of interest

Step through a timeline to the very beginning Explore Deep Time for yourself and share it with others today.

Building relationships through deep listening

Deep Time isn't about chasing a sound bite.

It's about connection, learning, deep listening and at times acknowledging, navigating and understanding that Indigenous communities and the media haven't always had the best relationship — even with the ABC.

At times, the ABC, along with other media, has been responsible for negative depictions and racist stereotyping of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Those media depictions are something Birri and Guugu Yimidhirr woman and SBS'