Mangroves play a vital role in regulating the climate, conserving biodiversity, and supporting community well-being. Despite significant investment, many global restoration projects have not achieved socially just or sustainable outcomes, often due to limited community engagement and meaningful participation. Mangrove restoration efforts often prioritise ecological or economic objectives (such as carbon storage or fisheries), while overlooking the cultural relations and knowledge systems that people, particularly Indigenous communities, hold with land and sea Country. This project addresses this gap by co-developing creative, art-based pathways with the Yirrganydji People to support the inclusion of Indigenous knowledge and values in mangrove restoration decision-making. Through an arts-based workshop, Yirrganydji partners express their connections to mangroves and Saltwater Country and coastal restoration visions, aligned with their ways of knowing and being. The project explores how insights generated through art-based processes can inform decision-support tools for restoration planning, while respecting Indigenous knowledge sovereignty. Methodological insights suggest that creative approaches enable richer and more nuanced articulation of Indigenous connections to mangroves and other coastal ecosystems than conventional consultation methods. In this presentation, we share advances in methodology, emerging results, and lessons learned. This presentation invites dialogue on how creative, relational approaches can strengthen Indigenous-led coastal restoration and support more equitable, culturally grounded, and context-responsive restoration outcomes.