A promotional video shot at one of Western Australia's top tourist draw-cards has stirred up threats of legal action.
InfinityList, a Melbourne sports website and Mercedes-Benz filmed the ad at Wave Rock, with BMX rider Danny Campbell riding through the landscape.
But an Aboriginal land council says the ad is inappropriate and is calling for it to be removed.
"This is a very significant place in that overall picture which crosses all of Noongar country and has a value that goes up into the desert and further east from Noongar country itself," said CEO of South West Aboriginal Land & Sea Council, Greg Kelly.
Mr Kelly says the site is sacred to the Noongar people. "We really don't want promotion of it that will encourage copycats to go out there and rip the place to pieces," he said.
"There's all sorts of places in the bush and around Perth for people to go and belt their bikes about and have a good time. Wave Rock is not one of them, it's too significant. The type of activity that happens at Wave Rock for our mind has got to be about protection and conservation".
Wave Rock is a tourist hot spot in WA, with the landmark bringing 140,000 tourists each year to the local town of Hyden. It was hoped the video would boost tourism.
But when it went viral, any hopes for a boost in local tourism, and for Mercedes-Benz, backfired.
InfinityList has not responded to NITV News and Mercedes Benz Australia says the video was commissioned by their German arm. They insist they had written permission, signed by Sheenagh Collins, apparently from Wave Rock management.
Ms Collins is also with the Hyden Tourism Development Company and has not responded to requests for an interview.
WA Tourism has distanced itself from the video saying in a statement that: "As spectacular as this film is, Tourism WA does not condone this type of activity without the appropriate approvals being obtained from all relevant local authorities".
The Land Council wants the video removed from websites and hopes an amenable solution with the film makers will be reached; otherwise it will pursue legal avenues.
