Burrup ‘is the most important rock art site in the world’

A famed French archaeologist who led the first major scientific study of the Burrup Peninsula’s ancient rock art has added his voice to calls for greater protection of the area.

Rock engraving of a turtle on the Burrup peninsula, near Dampier, WA. Picture: UWA Centre for Rock Art

A famed French archaeologist who led the first major scientific study of the Burrup Peninsula’s ancient rock art has added his voice to calls for greater protection of the area.

Michel Lorblanchet, who first began studying the petroglyphs of Western Australia’s northwest coast in the 1970s, has used his submission to a federal government study of the region’s industrial future to stress both the ­global significance and research potential of the Burrup, or Murujuga, rock art.

“The Murujuga site is the most important rock art site in the world. It constitutes world heritage of exceptional importance,” he said. “It must be classified as such and protected.”

The federal government earlier this year appointed environmental consultant Alison Stone to examine the wave of industrial developments and expansions planned for the peninsula, and their potential impact on the surrounding rock art, under a Section 10 assessment. The peninsula is home to an estimated one million rock carvings, many of which date back tens of thousands of years, and which have made it a candidate for UNESCO World Heritage listing.

But it is also home to some of Australia’s biggest industrial developments, with vast amounts of liquefied natural gas, salt and fertiliser produced in and exported from the area.

Oil and gas heavyweight Woodside Energy is planning to both extend the life of its big North West Shelf LNG plant and double the capacity of its Pluto LNG facility, while private company Perdaman is poised to start construction of a $6.5bn urea plant.

The plans have divided Indigenous groups with ties to the area. Some traditional custodians have split from the main Indigenous representative group Murujuga Aboriginal Corp to form Save Our Songlines, arguing that MAC was not doing enough to limit what they fear will be further damage to the region’s rock art from another wave of development.

Dr Lorblanchet first visited Murujuga in 1976, and again through the 1980s and early 1990s. He said he had not found any other site on Earth with comparable importance during a lifetime of research.

In his submission to Ms Stone, Dr Lorblanchet detailed the studies and research techniques he had carried out on the Burrup and said there was still much to be learnt from the site.

“Although further archaeological work has been conducted more recently, there is still huge archaeological potential, and no new locations should be damaged without extensive archaeological mitigation,” he said. “As my work showed, and recent work is reconfirming, the area is exceptionally rich in its archaeology.”

The Section 10 assessment has received more than 750 submissions, which Save Our Songlines’ Raelene Cooper said was a record.

A Woodside spokeswoman said it planned to make a “comprehensive” submission. “Woodside recognises the importance of the cultural heritage of Murujuga (the Burrup) and its magnificent rock art and we take our responsibility to protect and manage that cultural heritage very seriously.”