[1] According to Howard, the inspiration came on a ten-day camping trip to Uluru during 1980, where he had a "spiritual awakening" which brought "the fire in the belly" to the surface over injustices to Australia's Indigenous peoples.

[9] For the album, Goanna were Rose Bygrave on keyboards, Peter Coughlan on bass guitar, Graham Davidge (ex-Little River Band) on guitar, Warrick Harwood, Shane Howard, his sister Marcia Howard on backing vocals, Mick O'Connor on keyboards and Robbie Ross on drums.

[7] Proceeds supported the Tasmanian Wilderness Society's campaign against the proposed damming of Tasmania's Gordon and Franklin rivers for a hydroelectricity project.

[2] The B-side of the single, "Franklin River – World Heritage", was written and recorded by the society's director, Bob Brown, who later became a senator and the leader of Australian Greens.

[17] In September, still promoting Oceania and the newly released "Song for Africa", Howard went "walkabout", and the band was forced to cancel $20,000 worth of bookings.

[1][3] Eventually a disillusioned Howard had travelled to South Australia to perform with Aboriginal musician and didgeridoo player Bart Willoughby (No Fixed Address).

[1][2] With Howard no longer involved, Goanna effectively disbanded but reformed, self-managed, for one final farewell tour of Victoria, NSW, and Tasmania with aboriginal band Coloured Stone in October 1986.

[citation needed] The final gig of the tour was on 25 October 1986 for the Baha'i Concert For Peace at the Geelong Performing Arts Centre.

[citation needed] The live version of "Solid Rock" featured on the re-mastered release of "Spirit of place" comes from this performance.

[citation needed] The final line-up consisted of Shane & Marcia Howard, Rose Bygrave; Dave Stewart drums; Jo Imbrol bass; Simon Curphey and Selwyn Burns guitars; Bunna Lawrie, Bart Willoughby, Tony Lovett and Nicky Moffatt on Didgeridoo & percussion: Bill Dart F.O.H sound and recording engineer for db Concert Sound.

[citation needed] Shane Howard returned to a solo career, releasing Back to the Track (1988), River (1990), Time Will Tell (1993), Live in Ireland (1994), Clan (1996), Beyond Hope's Bridge (2000), Another Country (2004), Retrospect (2004), Songs of Love & Resistance (2006), Tarerer (compilation, 2006), Two Songmen with Neil Murray (2007), Goanna Dreaming (2010), Driftwood (2010), Other Side of the Rock (2012) and Deeper South (2015).

He was a founding member and musical director for the Black Arm Band productions Murundak (2006) Hidden Republic (2008) and repertoire consultant for Dirt Songs (2009), as well as a performing artist with the ensemble.

[citation needed] Howard also produced albums for the Wirrinyga Band (Dreamtime Wisdom, Modertime Vision, 1995, the Pigram Brothers (Saltwater Country, 1995, Jimmy Chi (Corrugation Road, 1996), Andy Alberts (Gunditjmara Land, 1996 and Close To Home, 2001) with Pete Bird, Joe Geia (Old Friends, 2000), Tonchi McIntosh (Bridges, 2001, Mossie Scanlon (Tanam Ort, 2001), Patricia Clarke (Keep The Fires Burning, 2001), Oriel Glennon (Two Pink Turtles, 2000), Dead Reckoning (2016) with Pete Bird (2015) and Archie Roach (Journey, 2006) with Nash Chambers.

[citation needed] In 1986, Rose Bygrave toured briefly playing reggae with Australian singer Wendy Saddington.

[1] Bygrave's first solo album, White Bird, finally appeared in 1999 and was followed by Walking Home (2001), North (2009) and The Yabby Catcher (2019).

[citation needed] Marcia Howard released the solo albums Butterfly (2000), Burning in the Rain (2004), Nashville Sessions EP (2015) and Everything Reminds Me (2017).

Her song, a musical rendering of the William Blake poem "Poison Tree" (recorded with Mary Black), was released on the compilation CD A Woman's Heart-a Decade on (2003).

[1] Joining the line-up was Kerryn Tolhurst (the Dingoes),[2] with other guest musicians on the album including Steve Cooney, Liam O'Maonlai, Bill Jacobi (bass guitar) and Greg Sheehan (drums).

Shane Howard recorded in Ireland with Stephen Cooney and Liam O'Maonlai (Hot House Flowers), while Tolhurst added the final touches in New York.

Goanna performed the song at the first National Sorry Day at Parliament House in Canberra in 1998, the same morning the "Bringing Them Home" report was released.

[citation needed] In August and September 2006, Shane Howard performed "Solid Rock" as part of the Countdown Spectacular tour[18] and was joined at the Melbourne concerts by his sister, Marcia, and Bygrave.