When Robe River Kuruma man Shane Edwards reflects on the young family he and his wife, Zara, are raising, he already has one eye on their place in the community.

Carter, 5, Cruize, 4, Cash, 2 and Kenji, 1, are growing up in northern WA's largest town, Karratha, a home geared heavily towards an outdoors lifestyle and which will one day present them a smorgasbord of career and cultural opportunities.

It is a good life, and one which Mr and Mrs Edwards have cherished themselves, but it isn't without its challenges.

What it means to be a good father in the modern world is rapidly evolving. So to are the demands of raising young boys into not just successful men, but respectful men.

For Indigenous parents, navigating walking in two worlds adds an extra layer of complexity.

Edwards considers himself lucky growing up in Roebourne in the 90s. The effects of generations of racist government policies had left the town with few strong male role models, but within Edwards' family he had people to turn to.

Shane Edwards often shares his family fishing, hunting and camping trips on Instagram. Here he is pictured with a queenfish his son, Carter, caught.

"My mum still is a strong leader in the community and my kids' mother, Zara, plays a huge part in our family," he said.

"I was able to learn from that... to understand how strong a respectful male father figure is going to be for my kids growing up.

"I want them to understand that it's going to be a difficult transition for modern day Indigenous people where we are being given opportunities more easily than previously... but you've got to make sure you're earning and respecting those opportunities."

On the other side of the country in outer Meeanjin (Brisbane) Murriwarri and Kullilli man Joshua Robinson is raising two girls and a boy with his wife, Nicole.

Their kids; Kylan, 2, and twins Ayla and Kennedy, 1, were born into the COVID era which allowed both parents plenty of bonding time at home from the get-go.

While a stark contrast to the Edwards family's outback surrounds, the Robinson's too is a good life, and core values remain the same for the city-based family.

"Being able to watch my children develop into the incredible beings they are and guiding our children through their early years by teaching them key values for our family," he said.

"I have enjoyed a lot of story-telling and being able to act like a child to meet our children on their level of fun.

"We do enjoy singing, dancing and story telling in our household and I would not be surprised if our neighbours can hear our fantastic vocals."

Like Edwards, Robinson knows well the importance of culture and two-way learning.

Connection to the ancestors and Country is vitally important, but so too are the street smarts required to navigate modern Australia.

"I hope to see my children inherit strong family values that don't only bring themselves success but fulfilment that will last a lifetime," Robinson said.

"I hope to continue pushing our boundaries and setting ourselves up for generations to come.

"For this to succeed I hope to teach my children about what is out there for them - the world is much bigger than I had been taught and I want my children to go get the life that they want."

The goal for both fathers is to watch their children grow into role models themselves.

Nicole and Josh Robinson with Ayla and Kennedy, 1, and Kylna, 2.

That means having a strong connection to Country, pursuing their passions and careers, respecting people from all walks of life, and one day providing for families of their own.

"Four boys is a handful but it's also four opportunities to make four strong male figures in their own right," Edwards said.

"I've got four boys there that are very strongly connected to country and often ask to go bush, fishing, camping, whatever it might be.

"The next part of my fatherhood for my boys would be making sure that they can walk in two worlds when they get to an adult and as well and understand the importance of keeping connected to country but also being able to be a role model for future Indigenous kids."

Both dads are confident the world their children will grow into will provide the opportunities they want, and that the modern demands of fatherhood will help raise the next generation of Indigenous role models.

With Joseph Guenzler