Burrup Rock Art at the Burrup Peninsula

Burrup Peninsula 27, 28, 29 April

We read about the Aboriginal rock art on the Burrup Peninsula ages ago and we had always hoped to get there to see it. It was a pretty major detour but one we’re glad we made.  We’re also really glad we knew about it beforehand as there isn’t a big deal made of it locally and we could easily have missed it.  Karratha was pretty unforgettable (but it’s having a townscape makeover so when we come back it’s sure to look like a strip from the Sunshine Coast – flats/shops/cafes/bars!)

The rock art at Deep Gorge (on the road out to Hearson’s Cove) is not signposted for it’s art or even the gorge. Not sure if it is low key because the traditional owners don’t want thousands of tourists tramping all over it or because this is an area ruled by mines and mining interests come first, so if too many pesky tourists see it, it might make it harder to expand the current mining/industrial landscape.

The art has not yet all been surveyed and can be found all over the peninsula and surrounding islands.  But what they have surveyed is so impressive they’ve concluded it is the oldest and concentrated area of petroglyphs found anywhere in the world. The artwork spans from the last ice age through to the mid 1800s or so.  We had a fabulous morning walking through the gorge and finding the artwork. I asked if there was a local Indigenous guide who could give us a tour but no-one does that – which is such a shame as it would be great to learn more about it and to find some of the harder to spot ones – like the thylacine (Tasmanian tiger) which is depicted. We did find the image that looks like an alien so that was interesting!  Later I discovered a magical book that has full colour photos of much of the rock art found here, all over the peninsula and the islands and next we come to the Pilbara I’ll be buying it and reading up on it and trying to see much, much more of it. 

The town of Dampier was a real surprise. The town itself is rather luck lustre but it’s location is absolutely stunning.  It’s got to have the best footy oval in the whole of Australia though – green lawns, surrounded by palm trees, right on the edge of the coast with islands in the near distance.  It’s also full of rocks, so we’re guessing that’s why Karratha (newer) is now the major centre because it would be a bit tricky trying to develop land around Dampier and that’s not taking into account the rich, cultural heritage attached so many of the rocks there!

We accidentally struck town when we could view the ‘Staircase to the Moon’ promoted in towns from here up to Broome.  So we hung out with at least a couple of hundred locals and fellow tourists at beautiful Hearson’s Cove (about 15 minutes out of town) to watch the moon rise over the water coupled with an extreme low tide (hence the name).  It was a bit underwhelming for us Brisbanites as you can see this at Sandgate!  We call it ‘fish n chips by the sea’ and don’t make too much of it other than thinking it looks really lovely.

Getting to Dampier was a fun beginning to the start of our adventures in the Pilbara.  The drive to it from our overnight camp beside a river near Emu Creek Station was just magic – we couldn’t wait to see more of it!