The case brought by Nagana Yarrbayn Wangan and Jagalingou Cultural Custodians to protect the Doongmabulla Springs from the impacts of Adani's Carmichael coal mine will now proceed to trial after the Queensland Government failed to challenge a landmark Court of Appeal ruling.

The State had 28 days to seek leave to appeal the decision to the High Court but allowed the deadline to pass without filing a challenge.

The unanimous judgment of the Queensland Court of Appeal now stands as settled law in the state, confirming that Aboriginal cultural rights under the Human Rights Act can be enforced and relied upon in determining whether the government has failed to protect sacred sites and the environment.

The ruling follows a lengthy legal fight in which the Cultural Custodians sought to hold the State accountable for its handling of environmental protections around the Carmichael coal mine and the Doongmabulla Springs.

The springs are an ancient groundwater system recognised as a Matter of National Environmental Significance, with water dated to more than 500,000 years old.

Senior Cultural Custodian Mr Adrian Burragubba said the Court of Appeal decision has created a pathway for the case to finally be heard.

"This is a huge breakthrough. The Court of Appeal decision has opened the pathway, and we will bring everything we have to the fight to save Doongmabulla," Mr Burragubba said.

He said the case centres on the State Government's role in approving the mine and failing to act on scientific evidence warning of harm to the springs.

"Our case is against the State Government - the enabler of the destruction of our Country and the denier of our rights," he said.

"They issued the environmental protection conditions on the mine, they refused to act on the evidence of harm, and they spent two years trying to shut us down before that evidence could be heard."

Mr Burragubba said the upcoming trial will finally allow the scientific evidence to be tested in court.

"Now we go to trial. The independent scientific evidence of the threat to the Springs will finally be heard in court," he said.

"That is what we have fought for - to get the Government to do its job to protect the Springs and to respect our rights as the custodians."

Independent expert evidence has been provided by Professor Matthew Currell of Griffith University and Professor Adrian Werner of Flinders University regarding potential impacts to the springs.

Mr Burragubba also rejected claims by Adani that the legal action amounts to "lawfare."

"That just disrespects the Court and this profoundly important decision - and Adani is not even a party to this case," he said.

"This case is about the State's failure under its own laws and environmental approvals to protect a sacred site of immense ecological and cultural significance from the destructive impacts of the coal mine."