A disturbing report in The Australian today:
THE first pictures of rock art removal on the Burrup peninsula show hundreds of boulders lying in piles amid red dust and rubble, after being bulldozed in recent weeks to make way for Woodside Petroleum’s Pluto gas processing plant.
The secretly taken photographs show the extent of removal of rocks containing ancient Aboriginal carvings dating back as far as 10-20,000 years.
Some are wrapped up for removal, others encased in netting attached to cranes to hoist them out of the ground. Scraped and smashed rocks, with carvings visible on some surfaces, lie in piles several metres high.
Having recently visited the Burrup and looked at the art and the existing LNG plant, I was not impressed to read this. Although some people will inevitably dismiss the rock art as “stick figures”, when you actually stand in front of it and see the designs etched onto ancient rocks, it is truly awe-inspiring. And the juxtaposition between some of the oldest evidence of human inhabitation of the country and the ultra-modern technology of the industrial plant is incredible, too — you feel as though you are somehow standing outside time. The thought of the art being destroyed is horrible.
The Australian doesn’t show the photographs, and I couldn’t see them in the print version, either, so I hunted for them online. I think they’re here, on the “Stand Up for the Burrup” campaign site. It is safe to assume that the campaign would post the most damning photos in its possession. Fortunately, they don’t seem to show the destruction that is suggested in the newspaper.
Two of the photos show the same large boulder wrapped in a cradle to move it to somewhere that will not be affected by the construction. This is hardly surprising given that Woodside has always said it would move the boulders so that the art is not damaged by the construction, and the pictures show that the rocks are being wrapped to protect them. The article notes that the rocks are being moved “with authorisation from the state Government’s Aboriginal Cultural Materials Committee”.
The disturbing claim in the article is that “hundreds of boulders [are] lying in piles amid red dust and rubble, after being bulldozed in recent weeks”, and that “[s]craped and smashed rocks, with carvings visible on some surfaces, lie in piles several metres high.” It’s the last photo that seems to be the basis for these claims:
Anyone who has visited the Burrup will know that this does not show anything out of the ordinary. There is no reason to believe this is the result of recent bulldozing — this is what the natural landscape looks like. Here are some photos that I took during my recent visit:
As you can see, the Burrup is basically made up of big piles of rocks. That’s how they’ve been for thousands of years, and that’s how they were when the rock art was initially produced.
Now, I’m not suggesting that moving the rock art is the best possible solution. To be honest, I don’t know the ins and outs of the case. I am surprised that it hasn’t already been heritage listed, but on the other hand the rocks are being moved with permission from the Aboriginal Cultural Materials Committee.
The point of this post isn’t to say that the rocks should be moved. Rather, it’s to point out that these photos are not evidence that Woodside is “bulldozing” the art — in fact, the photos seem to show that the art is being wrapped carefully to protect it while it is moved. This is not the damning evidence that the anti-Woodside campaigners are making it out to be.
It is appalling. I can still recall listening to that mealy mouthed ex-Minister for the Environment, Sen Campbell lecturing people that the site was so extensive that no way could all of it be saved. The pity of it is, and a cynic would suggest to the convenience of the WA and Federal Government that the traditional land owners of the Burrup were wiped out last century, so there’s no one to really complain
Surely on this subject you would have to bow to the precocious wisdom of Victorian Young Liberal, Miranda Airey-Branson, from just a little while back. Remember?
Asked why it was necessary to learn more about Aboriginal history and culture, she said some Aboriginal historical sites were little more than refuse disposed of years ago.
“You go to Rome you see the Colosseum . . . if you come to Australia, we have got really old rubbish,” she said.
For more see
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/coy-ambassador-hints-over-troop-pullout/2007/01/27/1169788741915.html?page=2
I’ve heard this one gone over several times on Radio National. I understand that in terms of age and extent there is simply nothing like it anywhere in the world.
The relevant Labor minister in WA was particularly egregious. Kinda suggesting we’d all be paupers if we didn’t let this development go ahead.
But the Feds too are a total disgrace:
It was said that BHP have put their infrastructure elsewhere.
Robert
It is good to see someone, from the left, actually going to first principles and checking the evidence for some of the more loony claims out there regarding indigenous issues and the environment in the wake of resource development. Good post which has given me some hope that there may still be some integrity on the left.
I,ve ben to the Burrup and to Kakadu and a numbe of other places and viewed the rock art.
The fact is that the area of Burrup rock art in question is about 2% of the total of the Burrup Rock art and is not of itself particularly unique. Just because it is old doesn’t mean that it should stop billions of dollars of economic development from which all Australians will benefit.
If it was unique and the only rock art on the Burrup, then I might have a different opinion.
Razor if you’ve seen one piece of stone age rock art you’ve seen ‘em all, right? And one leech-ridden ditch too is much like another; much better felled, mined, dammed. May there be more drownings of lakes, and bulldozing and mining of Aboriginal cultural landscapes such as Burrup Peninsula.
This is progress right? It pays for Bratz dolls and the like for the masses and spending money for the profit gougers who go on to rip out the old growth and obliterate the unknown millions of species endemic to the forests of Peru, Cambodia, PNG, Indonesia and the rest, and destroy the livelihood of the human beings dependent on these ecosystems and places for survival.
Given that the photos provided by Robert (with one exception) are of a (very small) reserved site, which comprises a miniscule fraction of the Burrup art provenance, it is not surprising that they do not support the claims of “widespread bulldozing”.
This is even more apparent, when one visits the area in question and realises that the reserved site in question is some distance (several km.) from any current (or proposed works).
The posting by Robert seems to me (and I have recently visited the Peninsula too), merely an exercise in misdirection, especially as he seems to base his statements upon his assumptions about the behaviour of others –
“
.
NOTE : these particular pics were on that site at least one year ago, when I last visited, so could hardly be determined as “the most recent photos” available.
In other words, not being able to track down the photos pertaining to the article in question, Robert finds some which he thinks may be those, and then assumes that these are photos of the worst of the destruction alleged to be taking place on the Burrup.
Not very convincing points upon which to base an argument IMHO, nor a reasonable demonstration of research skill, I would have thought. Unless, of course, one is running “interference” on behalf of some of the project proponents, perhaps ?
Given the number of reports on the extent and density of the pteroglyphs (“rock art”), and the obsessive secrecy with which Woodside governs access to most of the Peninsula, combined with the visual evidence of the massive clearing being undertaken, I for one, do not find it hard to credit the report referred to in the Oz.
In contrast to my opinion of Robert’s “contribution”.
The “rock art” is actually spirit rocks that may very well also hold the history of the first australians since their migration from africa about 48 thousand years ago.
The position of individual pieces in relation to each other may well be part of their message even if some white boat people think they all look like “rocks” seen elsewhere.
Hieroglyphs in Egypt’s Valley of Kings looked like a bunch of pictures repeating until the Rosetta stone, let’s hope the Burrup equivalent isn’t already powder.
The removal and destruction of these amazing pieces takes us further from understanding our history.
Maybe if someone wanted to destroy the head office of the corporates involved in saving a buck at the expense of a spiritual and historical “rocks” then said oh we’ll just bulldoze the foyer and move the boardroom that’d be okay too.
I hosted a forum on the spirit rocks for the National Trust of WA where Woodside observers were welcome to sit in, and they looked more embarrassed as the session wore on.
I understand from one of their own that the corporates have only backed off from more widespread destruction because of growing community awareness and activism.
Thanks for covering it here
tony
tony, it is sad but true, that mining companies will do whatever the jurisdiction they are working in allows them to do. They seem to be sui generis amoral.
The politicians have let us down on this one.
tony-thank you for bringing up the fact of the possible entry into Australia through this site.
Because of the positioning of Murajuga-which we knew as Dampier Island, before they turned it into a causeway;there seems every possibility this may have been an original landing site but because of the excavations carried out to site the industrial developments, in the past 40 years;any evidence of this may have already vanished.
Most industrial sites have been situated on the best open beachlands-possible landing and sites of residence ;close to the sea.
Shell middens found there ,go many meters down; so who knows what would have been buried at those depths.
Like many of the dreaming trails-the significance relies on leaving stones in place ;till they can be deciphered-probably already too late.
These trails exist thoughout Australia-significant is the Waygul(water snake) and its travels in SW ,WA.
Who could fathom the significance of the petroglyphs; that have only just started being studied ,by more than a few dedicated individuals.
And the arguement put forward ;that the Pluto project couldnt go ahead-except in this place, is nonsense.Both this project and the Barrow Island one, given the go ahead; would have been far better and easier sited ,for future expansion ;on the Maitland Industrial site.
As to wrapping and removing the stones-no matter how carefully;they totally lose all significance and become just another ‘collection’Like picking up Stonehenge and stacking it elswhere;except it is no where near as old!
We dont know what we have till we lose it-will future generations thank us for the destruction of something that existed intact for 20,000 years before the modern greedy generation came on the scene.
People protested about the Bamyhan Buddahs-only 2000 years old-we have a world treasure 20000 years old.
I see the ex Governor General of WA ;is today going in for protection of the site.
Here is hoping he will have some influence on the present Mininster for the environment
kay, I’m not an expert on this, but a question comes to mind as to what you mean by “an original landing site”. When humans first came to this continent it was we prsume during the last ice age. The sea level during the glacial maximus aboout 20,000 years ago was, I understand, 120m lower than it is today.
Recently I heard a discussion of how the ancient peoples dispersed from Africa along the coast of southern Asia, but the sea level is thought to have been 70m lower.
None of this detracts in any way from the value of the site.
The Aboriginal Cultural Materials Committee recommended against moving the rock art. The WA Minister for Indigenous Affairs used her powers to over-ride that recommendation, and then refused to provide the minutes of the ACMC meeting to representatives of the local Aboriginal claimant groups, who are united in their oposition to the desecration of this sacred site.
This site, believed to be the world’s oldest and most dense rock art landscape, were it anywhere in the civilised world, would have been National and World Heritge listed 50 years ago. Unfortunately, it’s in Western Australia.
It’s not too late to stop Woodside’s Pluto plant being located at Murujuga/the Burrup. Campaign details are at http://www.standupfortheburrup.com
This is pre-invasion Aboriginal cultural heritage, right?