National Heritage Listing
One Place, Many Stories: West Kimberley
© Commonwealth of Australia 2011
ISBN 978-1-921733-30-7
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Minister's foreword
The west Kimberley is one place with many stories. Renowned for its dramatic landscapes and rich Indigenous culture, the region weaves together a remarkable account of the evolution of the Australian continent with Aboriginal history dating back more than 40,000 years.
These stories are part of an iconic living landscape that features sheer escarpments, pristine rivers cutting through sandstone plateau and ancient coral reefs, creating spectacular waterfalls and deep gorges. Its remoteness has created a haven of biodiversity that supports plant and animal species found nowhere else on the Australian continent. This biodiversity has been sustained by thousands of years of Indigenous land management practices such as looking after country through fire burning and cultural maintenance activities.
The west Kimberley also tells the story of European exploration and settlement, from William Dampier's landing at Karrakatta Bay to the development of rich and vibrant pastoral and pearling industries that continue today.
The National Heritage List recognises and celebrates places of outstanding heritage value to our Australian nation. The west Kimberley is like no other place in Australia - like no other place on earth. Its extraordinary Indigenous, historic, aesthetic, and natural heritage values make it worthy of inclusion on the National Heritage List - Australia's highest form of heritage recognition.
The west Kimberley National Heritage area encompasses the iconic Kimberley coast from La Grange south of Broome, north to the Dampier Peninsula east to Cambridge Gulf, the Kimberley plateau and country south to the Oscar and Napier Ranges and the mighty Fitzroy River. This book provides a snapshot of some of the outstanding heritage values that make the west Kimberley such an integral part of Australia's history and identity.
The Hon Tony Burke
Minister for Sustainability, Environment,
Water, Population and Communities
Other books in this series
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One Place, Many Stories: Oceans |
 |
One Place, Many Stories: Antarctica |
 |
One Place, Many Stories: Our Country |
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