Murujuga extended
The huge cultural significance of the Pilbara’s Murujuga National Park is further recognised in a recently announced State Government decision to expand its area.
The additional parcel of land was previously zoned for industrial use. It will be transferred to the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation to be leased back to the State and managed as part of the park.
The Dampier Archipelago, the Burrup Peninsula and Murujuga National Park are home to the world’s highest concentration of rock art engravings, or petroglyphs.
The petroglyphs, estimated to be up to 45,000 years old, depict a diverse range of subjects of significance to the Aboriginal people of the Pilbara area and further afield, from human images to birds, marine life, and animals. Included are some species such as the thylacine and a fat-tailed kangaroo that are now extinct.
The region has been included on the Federal Government’s National Heritage List since in July 2007. With the support of the Western Australian Government, the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation and representatives from the five traditional language groups, a nomination for UNESCO World Heritage status for the area is being progressed at Federal level.
Image: The rock art at Murujuga National Park is sacred for Aboriginal people and traditional custodians the Ngarluma-Yindjibarndi, the Yaburara-Mardudhunera and the Wong-goo-tt-oo people.
