Carnarvon National Park rangers ask visitors to stop unlawfully taking selfies, touching sacred Indigenous rock art

Rangers at Carnarvon National Park are pleading with visitors to stop damaging Indigenous rock art, with tourists chasing social media clout putting sacred sites at risk by taking self-indulgent selfies.

Park rangers at a beloved regional Queensland national park are pleading with tourists to stop taking unlawful selfies at a sacred Indigenous rock art site.

Senior ranger Luke Male said the rock art sites at Carnarvon National Park were of international importance and the park was a great place to view and learn about the meaning of Indigenous rock art.

“Some visitors to Carnarvon National Park think the rules don’t apply to them and they’re entering restricted access areas to pose for photos,” Mr Male said.

“In some instances, they are posing in front of Indigenous rock art that is thousands of years old, or they’re actually touching it.

“The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service makes no apology for taking compliance action against people who break the rules because they believe they are influencers.”

Mr Male said rangers have issued 18 fines within the past year to visitors, including for camping in a protected area and fire offences.

Ochre stencils can be seen at the Art Gallery at Carnarvon Gorge National Park. The art on the Gorge sandstone walls reflects the way of life for Aboriginal people over thousands of years in the rugged terrain 600km west of Brisbane. Picture: Bruce Long

Carnarvon Gorge hikers inside the Amphitheatre. Carnarvon Gorge National Park. Photo: Mark Daffey.

Six people have also been issued with $431 fines each for entering restricted access areas to take selfies or touch the rock face.

Mr Male said rangers would continue their diligent efforts to fine anyone who enters these restricted areas and routinely check social media for selfies that had been taken unlawfully.

“We also receive information, including photos from members of the public about people who have broken the rules,” he said.

“The ochre stencil art of the region is unique, diverse, highly complex and spectacular, and the rock art is embedded within sandstone that is incredibly fragile.

Rock art at Carnarvon Gorge, Capricorn Region, Queensland. Photo: Tourism QLD.

“It is a great honour and privilege for us to be able to see these rock art sites, and touching them can damage cultural artefacts that are thousands of years old.

“The artwork on the sandstone walls of Carnarvon Gorge is part of what makes Carnarvon National Park such an iconic and much-loved national park.

“People have to understand that the Traditional Owners remain connected to this place and the rock art within it, and they regard the entire Carnarvon National Park as a cultural site.

“The boardwalks are designed to give people the best possible view of the sites, and people don’t get a better view by leaving the boardwalk.

“The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service is committed to protecting and preserving the natural and cultural values of our national parks, and we take a zero-tolerance approach to people who break the rules.”

Bidjara representative and Carnarvon National Park Traditional Owners Management Group Committee member Kristine Sloman said the national park was a giant cemetery, and the rock art sites are places where family members had been laid to rest.

Stepping stones over Carnarvon Creek near the Carnarvon Gorge Visitors Centre. Carnarvon Gorge National Park. Photo: Mark Daffey.

“Getting off the boardwalks and walking around is of the utmost disrespect, and is comparable to attending someone’s funeral and walking on their coffin,” Ms Sloman said.

“Many people around the world have chosen to close their sacred sites due to destructive impacts, and it would be a great shame to resort to this type of action.

“Let’s appreciate, learn, nurture, and respect each other’s cultures and ensure no more of our sacred places are damaged or closed to the public.”

Another Bidjara representative, Leah Wyman, said the best way visitors to the park could assist in preserving historical cultural sites and the environment was to remain on the walkways.

“Our rock art bears thousand-year-old images and they provide valuable information about the lives and cultures of our people in the past,” Ms Wyman said.

“They are also important spiritual and ceremonial sites to us, and it is imperative that everyone stays on the walkways to ensure that Carnarvon National Park can be visited by future generations to come.”