Rock art estimated to be more than 50,000 years old in Western Australia will receive World Heritage listing, after a United Nations committee approved its nomination.
Uncertainty about the listing was raised after the Federal Government conditionally approved the extension of a nearby gas project until 2070.
The Ngarda-Ngarli Traditional Owners have celebrated the listing as an “emotional and proud moment”.
Murujuga
Murujuga is a cluster of rocks on the Burrup Peninsula in north-west WA.
The rocks feature more than one million ancient engravings called “petroglyphs”. Some of these are estimated to be around than 50,000 years old.
Ngarda-Ngarli Traditional Owners have preserved the rock art for tens of thousands of years, making Murujuga one of the “largest and most diverse collections of rock art in the world.”
World Heritage
Australia first initiated the process to get Murujuga listed as a World Heritage site in 2020.
There are 20 sites in Australia listed on the World Heritage register, including the Great Barrier Reef, Uluru, and Kakadu National Park.
Heritage status recognises areas of “cultural and natural” significance.
Listings are voted on by the UN’s World Heritage Committee, with the advice of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS).
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Gas project
Murujuga’s World Heritage status was threatened by the extension of the nearby North West Shelf gas project, led by energy giant Woodside.
Earlier this year, the Federal Government provided conditional approval for the gas site to remain open until 2070. In his decision, Environment Minister Murray Watt noted the Murujuga rock art required protection.
ICOMOS raised concerns about this development, which came the same week as the UN told Australia to “prevent any further industrial development” near the rock art.
Approval
At a meeting in Paris, the World Heritage Committee agreed to add Murujuga to the list.
ICOMOS argued Australia still needed to guarantee long-term conservation of Murujuga and remove “acid emissions” that could impact the petroglyphs.
The Government will provide the site with stronger protections and will hand down an update on its conservation in 2027.
“We will ensure this outstanding place is protected now and for future generations,” Watt said in a statement.
Response
Deputy chair of the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation, Ngarluma woman Belinda Churnside, told the committee: “This has been a long-awaited journey and a fight for our elders… We are thankful to receive this recognition from a global scale”.
Greens leader Larissa Waters is pushing the government to cancel the extension of the North West Shelf project in light of Murujuga’s listing, noting that UN experts have already warned that “Woodside’s gas plant threatened the longevity of the rock art”.
