Fifty years ago, Dampier was the largest of 42 islands forming the Dampier archipelago, but industrial activity in the 1960s connected it to the mainland, and it is now known as the Burrup Peninsula. In addition to altering the geography, the industrial facilities polluted the air with greenhouse gases and dust that damaged the rock art. (...)
Fifty years ago, Dampier was the largest of 42 islands forming the Dampier archipelago, but industrial activity in the 1960s connected it to the mainland, and it is now known as the Burrup Peninsula. In addition to altering the geography, the industrial facilities polluted the air with greenhouse gases and dust that damaged the rock art. Proposed further industrial growth would have destroyed a third of the surviving petroglyphs and put even more at risk of degradation by pollutants in the air. Beginning with local organizations in Perth and Karratha, concerned groups banded together and launched an international campaign called “Stand Up for the Burrup.” Communities across the globe took pictures with that message in front of their own cultural monuments. The campaign is ongoing.
The native Wong-Goo-Tt-Oo, Ngarluma Yindjibarndi, and Yaburara Mardudhunera peoples joined in objecting to the development and partnered with the Australian Rock Art Research Association to maintain the area. Now that a management plan has been conceived, there is enormous potential for archaeological research into understanding the settling of Australia, climate change, and many other questions this unique site poses. The boulder-strewn hills of Dampier constitute a cultural landscape of immense importance for historical and anthropological investigation. Despite the surge of international support, industrial interests continue development on the Burrup and the situation remains tense.
