The Murujuga National Park on the Burrup Peninsula, about 18 kilometres from Karratha, contains one of the world's most significant and extensive collections of Aboriginal rock art. Estimates put the number of individual petroglyphs at over one million — engraved into the reddish Pilbara rocks over a period of tens of thousands of years by the Ngarluma and Yaburara people. The site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2023.
The engravings depict animals (including species now extinct in the region such as the thylacine), human figures, geometric patterns, and faces. They are scattered across an area of rocky outcrops, gorges, and coastal headlands — not concentrated in one place, but distributed through a landscape that is itself ancient and beautiful. The proximity of one of the world's largest LNG processing plants is jarring: the industrial complex is visible from many of the art sites. This is a live conservation controversy, as acid emissions from the plant have been measured depositing on the petroglyphs.
Access is via the unsealed roads of the Burrup Peninsula. The designated walking tracks at Deep Gorge and Hearson's Cove are the most accessible for visitors without a 4WD, though many more engravings are scattered across the peninsula for those willing to walk off the main paths. A ranger-guided tour is worth taking for context and to find art you would miss independently.