This paper presents preliminary results from community-led rock art and ethnobotanical surveys conducted with Mbabaram trainee rangers in the Walsh River region near Watsonville, Far North Queensland. The surveys documented cultural landscapes at the interface of tropical savanna and rainforest ecosystems, recording unique rock art depicting bush plants alongside contemporary Indigenous knowledge of native foods. These investigations provide essential baseline data for understanding how Indigenous peoples developed sophisticated systems to manage and exploit these biodiverse environments over millennia. The preliminary findings also establish a foundation for archaeological investigations of deep-time evidence of bushfood use through the analysis of archaeobotanical remains at the rock art sites and other localities. By integrating rock art documentation, ethnobotanical knowledge, and archaeological evidence spanning several thousand years, our research aims to trace the history of Indigenous foodways from past to present. Critically, this work is driven by Mbabaram community aspirations to revitalise traditional knowledge, preserve their unique cultural heritage, and develop educational and economic opportunities centred on native foods. The project demonstrates how collaborative research can support Indigenous-led cultural and natural resource management while contributing new knowledge about long-term human occupation and management of tropical savanna environments.