Landscape setting

The Dampier Archipelago is on the Indian Ocean coast of the Pilbara of Western Australia. It is made up of 42 islands and islets of which Dampier Island is the largest. As a result of industrial development, Dampier Island is now an artificial peninsula known as the 'Burrup Peninsula'. The rugged landscape with its massive boulder-strewn ridges, plateaus and steep-sided valleys contrasts markedly with the broad low-lying plain of the mainland.

A series of ridges and rocky hills made up of massive boulders dominates the landscape of the Archipelago. These result from ancient weathering and erosion of the pre-Cambrian volcanic lava flows. The dominant rock type is granophyre, particularly on the western side, though gabbro, granite and dolerite also occur. Steep-sided valleys provide access corridors through the rugged terrain and are important sources of water and shelter. The coastline offers a complex array of different environments including rocky shores, sandy beaches, tidal mudflats and mangroves.

Soils in the area are generally shallow and plant cover sparse. The dominant vegetation of the area is spinifex grassland. However, the complex topography has created a range of micro-habitats which support a variety of specialised plant and animal communities. These include a high number of plant species normally only found much further north in the Kimberley region. Many of these are edible and provided important food resources for Aboriginal people.

Water is scarce in the Archipelago and there are no permanent surface sources. The climate is characterised by high summer temperatures and erratic rainfall affected both by southern winter rainfall pattern and northern tropical cyclones. The valley systems carry ephemeral creeks with rock pools which act as natural cisterns. Freshwater soaks are also found. These would have been of critical importance to the people of the area.