60minutes - Pilbara Aboriginal Rock Art

Beddo, totally agree. Sadly, the politics of money will probably dictate that I never get to see them.
Are they accessable to the average tourist I wonder, or part of some giant industrial estate at the moment ?

Funny (not!) that this sort of chit still goes on in our 'politically correct' society. To be up for heritage listing it must fulfil alot of criteria which it probably does, on the other hand, some private company that stands to make big dollars and is bleep in the government's pocket. Hmmm, how do you think it will turn out?

Same story before they built the present gas processing. It still went ahead. Apparently the peninsular is full of ancient rock carvings. I didn't see any, but there is a huge amount of rocks and i didn't know where to look.

There is an online petition concerning protection of the rock art at :

Burrup Petition

Everyone with any interest in the preservation of our heritage should check it out

The Rock Art is easy to find and there is lots of it. Doesnt mean that it can be destroyed though.

The easiest place to find it is just off the road out to Hearsons Cove. About 2/3rds the way out there is a track to the right. Follow it down to some trees, park up, and walk in towards the rocks. There is a plaque there to show it is a significant site and details about the middens and rock art in the area. Follow up into the small valley between the rocks and you will see it everywhere and in great detail.

Worthwhile looking for.

I work up that way myself, but I didnt see the 60 minutes story.
I dont know where all the "rock art" is situated, but I would have thought that the stuff mentioned at Hearsons Cove would be at very minimal danger from either the LNG plant or the new Ammonia plant, given that the prevailing winds are southwest in summer and southeast in winter, and Hearsons cove is located SE of both of these facilities?

yes those facilities provide many thousands (literally) of jobs and contribute a disproportionate amount of money to Australias foreign income, so its not so simple as "move it somewhere else"

to provide another side to the issue, I would find it hard to believe that somewhere under Sydney or Melbournes vast sprawling area, some significant art or area of cultural significance etc wasnt destroyed/buried??

Yes it might bring big money to Australia, so we can spend big bucks to ensure this site is protected ! I am sure in this age we can do that. Yes Aboriginal sites all over Australia are being destroyed for development purposes, with the money gov't get for permits to destroy I wish it would go to conservation of Aboriginal Culture elsewhere. Thousands of artefacts are in old farm sheds etc or in gov't lockup never to be seen and in most instances these are not held in an appropriate environment ie museum climate controlled environment. Out at Mungo NP the local Aboriginal community along with National Parks is working on a large cultural centre with climate controlled storage area. Artefacts are to be returned back to the people who will care for them. It is funny that we conserve European heritage dating back 200yrs but when it comes to Aboriginal heritage dating back 2000yrs to 40 000yrs or so, we don't really care. There is a cave locally with hand stencils etc near me on the Central Coast of NSW and archaelogical excavation has dated to site to atleast 6000yrs. Sure development must go ahead but with care for cultural heritage, surely future development can be moved away from the site not to impact on it. Can you imagine an industrial development happening alongside Stonehenge, Easter Island, Anzac Cove etc I think not.

As I was watching that I thought of another place the WA Environment Minister gave to go ahead to (against her departments recommendations) all for the sake of a few iron ore dollars in the short term. It’s in the Yilgan Region here in WA, unofficially called Windarling Range, it’s about 10ks north of a peak named Windarling Peak. In addition to a plant that grows only on this range and therefore rare and endangered, the range itself which on the northern side was a shear cliff that jutted up some 100 metres from the surrounding plains it also had huge iron monoliths/pinnacle’s jutting up from its southern side. One of the monoliths had three peaks, which I named WA's Three Sisters, another one was like a hunched over old man, one was like a baseball glove and there was a finger like pinnacle about 5 metres tall. The top of the range consisted of a ridge varying between 6 - 12 metres wide. It was quite spectacular. But it’s all going to be gone. I'm glad I got pictures of how it was.

Lived here for 16 years .Go out to the Peninsula as often as possible up the "jump up"(a small hill full of boulders that the tojo handles well if you use common sence,the only way to get ther from land) and also saw the program. The gov has not!!!!!! tried to hide this area.Most people wont take there cars up the "jump up" to have a look. Maybe Woodside is causing acid rain ,maybe 40,000 years is taking its toll, but i'll say that to wipe out this area would take an atomic bomb.Green Valley? Record rains from cyclones in an area that had no rain for years makes any area green. A real pity Ray Martin and his crew took Photos of the nearby burrp fertilizer plant spewing out steam not smoke etc. All these people whinge about the loss of heritage. Ask the local tribes how much money woodside and pilbara iron have given to them,how they have set up clinics for them ,tried to provide better housing,set up day care clinics , provided better medical facilities.Other comments are right about the quality of the carvings. Must be looking in the wrong places but have never seen any that good quality. Amazing what the right light and touch up of films can produce.Come in Summer Ray!!!!