Nature vs industry on the Burrup Peninsula

A large flock of galahs take flight on the Burrup Peninsula in Western Australia

To stand in Deep Gorge, surrounded by rich red boulders etched with the world’s largest and most important collection of petroglyphs (Aboriginal rock carvings) which date back half to one million years, is breathtaking. It’s a quick-fire way to make you feel insignificant in the big picture.

To turn 180 degrees and be confronted by millions of tons of mechano on steroids fashioned into a huge industrial plant just a few hundred metres away is heartbreaking.

How the Government allowed the gas and chemical industries to develop on the Burrup Peninsula is a tragedy, brought home to me when we visited recently.