Exhibition – ‘The Kimberley’ – May 21 to June 9

Barramundi & Iron-Ore Loading Yard.

Breaking News!!!…The full series of exhibition images and accompanying text is now online here.

Or read on for the original promo post…

Hi folks,

from May 21 – June 9, Kimberley painter, Tom Montgomery, and I will hold an exhibition about the ongoing threat of industrialisation to the magnificent Kimberley region in NW Australia. Tom will be exhibiting watercolour paintings from the Walmadan area while I will be showing photographs from across The Kimberley. Please spread the word. All welcome.

The Kimberley – Australia’s Threatened Wilderness

When: May 21 – June 9

Where: St Heliers Gallery, Abbotsord Convent Arts Precinct, Melbourne

Opening Night: Fri May 24, 5 – 8 pm.

Official Closing Address: June 7 at 10.30 am. Come and hear Bob Brown (ex Greens Leader, ex Franklin River Campaigner, current Bob Brown Foundation creator, current Save The Tarkine Patron, and all round bloody awesome fella!) tell us why he thinks The Kimberley is so important. Thanks Bob.

Why: Despite Woodside canning its plans for the world’s largest LNG processing plant at Walmadan, WA Premier Barnett has declared he is continuing the compulsory acquisition process of the land around Walmadan. Industrial Invaders will keep coming in the months/years ahead. Keep Kimberley always in your hearts & minds.

There is too much priceless culture and wilderness to lose…millions of years of creation and 40,000 + years of Aboriginal culture…in exchange for a predicted 50 years of mining. Madness!

Here are some sample images of Tom’s incredibly detailed and beautiful watercolours:

Walmadan Cliffs

Squirrel Fish

Barramundi (detail)

Barramundi

Pelicans – symbol of the Goolarabooloo Aboriginal people

Shore Bird

Owl faced Finch

All of the above would’ve been severely affected/destroyed by Woodside’s/Barnett’s failed plan.

And here follow a few of Hunter’s pics:

Cliffs at Walmadan (James Price Point), 2013

Savannah, Eucalypts & Mountain, 2013

KMG’s Iron-ore Loading Yard on sensitive mangrove and mudflat ecosystems. Cambridge Gulf, Wyndham, 2013

Above, an example of inappropriate development…on a small scale – Kimberley Metals Group Iron-Ore loading yard on sensitive mudflats and mangroves at Cambridge Gulf. Signs around town warned people not to drive on the mudflats due to their sensitivity – but an iron-ore loading yard was somehow deemed OK!! If Barnett’s plan ever comes to fruition, we will see hundreds of large-scale mining projects across The Kimberley.

To get to and from the loading yard, the Kimberley Metals Group employs Hancocks transport to drive massive road trains (up to 53 metres long)  to/from their iron-ore mine site, Ridges Mine, located several hundred kilometres further inland. These road-trains pass in each direct EVERY 20 minutes for approximately 20 hours a day. Again, remember, this is relatively small scale – nothing compared to the plans Barnett has.

And below, overlooking Cambridge Gulf from The Five Rivers lookout, which was recently listed as one of the top ten lookouts in the world. And not to forget that the NY Times recently listed The Kimberley as one of the top must-see destinations in the world – they also noted the massive threat of industrialisation if it not protected soon. And yet the iron-ore loading yard went ahead, right at the base of this lookout. Crazy, frightening and a major warning of potential things to come if we don’t continue to act.

Storm over Cambridge Gulf, Wyndham, New Years Eve, 2012

Tom and I really hope you can join us at the show. Please help spread the word.

Keep The Kimberley always in your hearts and minds.

Hunter G and Tom would like to sincerely thank the Goolarabooloo Aboriginal people, and in particular, Law Boss and Traditional Owner, Philip Roe.

Thanks for listening and bye for now,

Hunter G, Tom and Claude (the damn van – that was my house, home and transport for 5 months – thanks Claude, I’ll come back for you soon!)

Related articles

• Some Things I Saw – Part 3 (hunterg1.wordpress.com)
• West Side Story – Kimberley Under Threat. (hunterg1.wordpress.com)