Dampier Archipelago

We reached the Dampier Archipelago, and decided to stay there to wait out the cyclone. A lot of other ships were there doing the same thing.

We went to see some of the petroglyphs in the Dampier Archipelago. This, and the nearby Burrup Peninsula, is has the highest concentration of petroglyphs in the world, and also has one of the largest collections of petroglyphs. The area is desert, with spinifex and few trees. When my parents moved here in the 1980s, I found out that it had over 300 days of temperatures over 30C and 90 days over 35C on average every year. As a result of the harsh climate, the hills all look like piles of rock. This is natural. 

Early European settlers used the stones to build. We also saw rufous rock wallabies (which are very quick). There’s one in the photo.

And, in places, just about every rock face has a petroglyph.

The town of Dampier is nearby, and Dampier Salt produces most of Australia’s salt. You can see the salt piles in the distance.

After we visited, the winds picked up as the low pressure system passed by. We stayed two days so the cyclone could be in front of us, but it seems to be not quite developing into a cyclone. I saw birds flying backwards in the winds, and the sunset was spectacular.