Tourists at a Queensland holiday spot have been criticized for their “self-indulgent, unlawful” actions, all apparently done in the name of social media.
Visitors to Carnarvon National Park have been entering restricted access areas to take selfies with “fragile” Indigenous rock art.
The “selfish selfies” are putting the historic Indigenous site at risk, the Department of Environment and Science (DES) said.
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The rock art sites at Carnarvon National Park are of international importance, senior ranger Luke Male said.
“Some visitors to Carnarvon National Park think the rules don’t apply to them and they’re entering restricted access areas to pose for photos,” Male said.
“In some instances, they are posing in front of Indigenous rock art that is thousands of years old, or they’re actually touching it.
“The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service makes no apology for taking compliance action against people who break the rules because they believe they are influencers.”
In the past year, six people have been fined for entering restricted access areas to take selfies or touch the rock face, while 18 fines have been issued for other offenses such as camping in a protected area.
“The ochre stencil art of the region is unique, diverse, highly complex and spectacular, and the rock art is embedded within sandstone that is incredibly fragile,” Male said.
“It is a great honor and privilege for us to be able to see these rock art sites, and touching them can damage cultural artifacts that are thousands of years old.”
Not only is touching the art disrespectful but doing so can wear down the artwork.
Sandstone is very soft and the cumulative impact of persons touching the rock face causes wear.
Sunscreen, sweat and hand sanitizer can also damage the art, while dust stirred up can adhere to the rock face.
“Our rock art bears thousand-year-old images, and they provide valuable information about the lives and cultures of our people in the past,” Bidjara representative Leah Wyman from the Carnarvon National Park Traditional Owners Management Group Committee (CNPTOMGC) said.
“They are also important spiritual and ceremonial sites to us, and it is imperative that everyone stays on the walkways to ensure that Carnarvon National Park can be visited by future generations to come.”
The national park is a giant cemetery, and the rock art sites are places where family members have been laid to rest, said Kristine Sloman, another Bidjara representative and CNPTOMGC member.
“Getting off the boardwalks and walking around is of the utmost disrespect, and is comparable to attending someone’s funeral and walking on their coffin,” Sloman said.
“Many people around the world have chosen to close their sacred sites due to destructive impacts, and it would be a great shame to resort to this type of action.
“Let’s appreciate, learn, nurture, and respect each other’s cultures and ensure no more of our sacred places are damaged or closed to the public.”
You will be fined
Anyone who enters a restricted access area around the rock art will be fined, Male said, and rangers regularly check social media for selfies that have been taken unlawfully.
“We also receive information, including photos from members of the public about people who have broken the rules,” he said.
“People have to understand that the Traditional Owners remain connected to this place and the rock art within it, and they regard the entire Carnarvon National Park as a cultural site.”
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