Murujuga Rock Art Under Threat: Custodian Speaks Out
The Western Australian government’s approval of a 50-year extension for Woodside’s North West Shelf gas project has sparked a powerful response from Mardudhunera woman and former Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation Chair, Raelene Cooper.
As a traditional custodian of Murujuga, a sacred cultural landscape home to tens of thousands of years of rock art and songlines, Cooper has called the project an assault on her heritage and the environment.
“This is such a special place,” said Ms. Cooper. “It is really unbelievable to me that Woodside is allowed to destroy it. Murujuga is my country and it holds my songlines—the rock art is sacred to my people.”
The approval paves the way for the Burrup Hub to expand operations until 2070, drawing gas from the Browse Basin, a pristine marine habitat teeming with endangered species, including sea snakes, whales, and turtles.
According to Cooper, the project’s toxic emissions threaten not only the cultural heritage of Murujuga but also its delicate ecosystems.
“Woodside is getting Browse gas to feed the Burrup Hub from under a pristine coral reef that endangered species rely on for their habitat,” she said
“Once the toxic gas has eroded our sacred sites, the knowledge and identity of who we are as traditional custodians will be lost and gone forever.”
The Cultural and Environmental Stakes
Murujuga’s rock art is regarded as one of the world’s oldest continuous records of human culture, with carvings that date back tens of thousands of years.
This unique heritage is under consideration for UNESCO World Heritage status, a move that Cooper says underscores its universal value. She fears the emissions from Woodside’s gas operations will erode the carvings, effectively wiping out her people’s stories and spiritual connections.
“Murujuga is a healing place,” said Cooper. “This rock art is tens of thousands of years old. It could be wiped out within decades if Woodside’s Burrup Hub gets the go-ahead. We belong to this place, and Woodside is destroying it in front of our eyes.”
Cooper’s fight is not limited to preserving her culture. She sees the project as a broader threat to the planet.
“This isn’t just about the survival of my culture, it’s about the survival of all people. The same toxic gas destroying my rock art is also causing destruction for our planet,” she said. “It is heartbreaking that any government would allow this to continue.”
Murujuga’s Rock Art: A Timeless Legacy
Murujuga, also known as the Burrup Peninsula in Western Australia, is home to one of the world’s most extensive and oldest collections of rock art, or petroglyphs.
This sacred landscape features an estimated one million carvings, some dating back more than 50,000 years, providing a continuous record of human life, culture, and spiritual beliefs.
The art depicts a variety of subjects, including human figures, animals, and geometric patterns, as well as scenes of daily life, ceremonial practices, and mythical beings.
The creators of this extraordinary art were the Aboriginal peoples of the Pilbara region, whose deep spiritual connection to the land is reflected in the carvings.
For the Mardudhunera, Ngarluma, Yaburara, Yindjibarndi, and Wong-Goo-Tt-Oo peoples, Murujuga represents a cultural and spiritual archive.
The petroglyphs are not just artistic expressions; they are integral to songlines—sacred stories that map the landscape and connect people to their ancestors and creation stories.
The themes of the carvings are as diverse as the artists who created them.
Some of the most striking images include representations of extinct animals like the thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger, and megafauna, offering a rare glimpse into Australia’s prehistoric past.
The thylacine died out on mainland Australia around 3,600–3,200 years ago, around the same time as the introduction of the dingo.
Other carvings show marine life, including fish, turtles, and whales, reflecting the artists’ intimate knowledge of and dependence on the surrounding coastal environment.
A UNESCO World Heritage Candidate
The sheer volume, age, and cultural significance of Murujuga’s rock art have made it a strong contender for UNESCO World Heritage status. Unlike other rock art sites around the world, Murujuga’s carvings remain in their original setting, forming part of a living cultural landscape.
The art continues to hold profound meaning for the local Indigenous communities, serving as a link between the past, present, and future.
However, the site faces growing threats from industrial development, particularly from emissions linked to the Burrup Hub gas projects. These emissions, which contain acidic compounds, risk damaging the delicate carvings, potentially erasing tens of thousands of years of history.
A Global Treasure
Murujuga’s rock art is not just an Australian treasure; it is a global one, offering invaluable insights into the lives and beliefs of early humans. Its preservation is not merely about safeguarding cultural heritage—it is about ensuring that this profound connection to humanity’s shared past endures for future generations.
Seeking Accountability
Ms. Cooper has filed a Section 10 application with the federal government, urging Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to conduct a full cultural heritage assessment of the industrial impacts on Murujuga.
She hopes the government will recognize the irreversible damage this project could cause to the sacred rock art and the environment.
“Tanya Plibersek is supposed to be the Water and Environment Minister,” said Cooper. “She must not allow Woodside to keep pumping out their acid gas all over my cultural heritage until 2070—or it will all be gone.”
Cooper also questions the ethical and environmental legacy such decisions will leave behind.
“What sort of legacy does Tanya Plibersek want to leave for her own children?” she asked. “North West Shelf until 2070 would be Woodside and government-supported genocide.”
The Fight for Murujuga Continues
Ms. Cooper’s campaign underscores the ongoing clash between industrial development and the preservation of Indigenous heritage in Australia.
For her, the stakes couldn’t be higher: “I am fighting Woodside for my old people and my family,” she said. “We won’t allow irreversible damage to our sacred sites.”
The federal government’s decision on the Section 10 application could determine the future of Murujuga’s rock art—and whether its story survives for generations to come.
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