It’s been dubbed Australia’s own Jurassic Park – a stretch of coastline north of Broome that was once a thoroughfare for dinosaurs.
Dinosaur tracks dating back 130 million years have been painstakingly recorded by Dr Steve Salisbury and his team of palaeontologists from the University of Queensland and James Cook University, in collaboration with the site’s Traditional Custodians.
The tracks point to 21 types of dinosaur – more than represented anywhere else in the world. However the accurate identification of dinosaur track types and the number of dinosaur groups represented is a challenging science, says Dr Salisbury.
“Frustratingly not all the dinosaurs that lived in that area 130 million years ago walked in nice straight lines!”
The tracks are woven into a song cycle that extends along the coastline and inland for 450km, tracing the journey of Marala the Emu Man and Law giver, who sang country into existence.
Care of the tracks has in most recent times has sat with the Goolarabooloo people, who requested the tracks be scientifically documented as the area was earmarked for a $40 billion liquid natural gas processing precinct and port. “The WA government at the time described it as an ‘unremarkable beach’”, says Dr Salisbury.
The team was careful to observe local protocol, gaining consent for access to the site, recording of images and use of stories from the local Lawmen.
The scientific, cultural and natural heritage significance of these tracks is unique.
“Once you understand what these rock platforms preserve you realise you’re standing in an area that was walked over by dinosaurs millions and millions of years ago. In some places it looks like they did it yesterday. And it’s all occurring in this amazing wilderness setting. It’s a really special place.”
