Save the Kimberley Concert

26 Feb 2013 at 9:13pm

John Butler at the Save the Kimberley Concert last weekend. Entertaining and inspiring.

Shot on the Fuji X-Pro 1

Concert for the Kimberley This Sunday

20 Feb 2013 at 11:09am

Make sure you get down to Fremantle this Sunday the 24th and lend your support to saving the Kimberley from industrialisation.

What an awesome day with a FREE concert by John Butler, Missy Higgins and Ball Park Music.

Go to the link here to get more details on the day.

The Kimberley

31 Aug 2011 at 7:32pm

Seems that Tony Burke doesn’t think James Price Point is worth saving and big business wins again. I’m sure they will still have a fight from everyone opposed to the worlds biggest gas plant being built on the Broome doorstep. He has proposed that half of the Kimberley is to be heritage listed, what happens to the other half? Well I guess that is where the resources are. What is heritage listing anyway, just more red tape for companies to go through to get what they want. In the end will it really stop anything going ahead?

As for Woodside protecting the dinosaur footprints, will that be similar to how they protected the rock art on the Burrup Peninsula. See the photo below.

Not many people know where the rock art ended up. We were taken there by a guide and led up a very obscure track, that obviously isn’t one they want you to use. We all felt a sense of shame at what we saw and I could only think of how I would feel if something culturally significant to me was moved to make way for a plant that was there to save the world from burning coal. Sorry I meant to make a shit load of money for the company. I assume the dinosaur prints will be treated just as carefully and respectfully.

To everyone in Broome who opposes the gas hub, I’m saddened to hear this news but I’m sure with your strong will and community spirit this thing can still be averted. To those who are rubbing their hands together in glee for the profits they may or may not make, please think about our environment, your kids environment, the respect of indigenous culture and land and those who only want a good outcome for everyone, not just the oil and gas industry.

There are no jobs on a dead planet

Anyway on a lighter note the Bike to Broome went extremely well. No crashes, no injuries only a bit of nappy rash and some upset stomachs. Goes to show that humans can do anything if they put their minds to it. We were ahead of schedule on most changes but because we couldn’t get into Broome ahead of time we had to go a bit slower at times. This gave us a chance for a breather but the sleep was pretty hard to come by. We probably only averaged 2 to 3 hours per day so it got a bit tough in the last couple. Still when we arrived we were running on excitement and positive energy and the warm reception from the Broome locals was fantastic. Along the way the public and news were told about our ride and what we were doing it for so the message was getting out there. Thanks to everyone who sponsored us with donations and products. It was so amazing. To those who praised our efforts, thank you. We hope some people have had another think about what the Kimberley means to them and some attitudes have been changed.

To all the people in power who make these crazy decisions, know that the public will be voting one day soon and I hope you have done enough to be re-elected. Remember also the decisions you make today you will have to live with forever. If the Kimberley is laid bare and destroyed it will be your actions we will remember. I hope you can live with that.

We were all so amazed with how we coped with the ride we are already talking about a Bike to Canberra. How good would that be. You loose weight, get fit, see the country at 3okph and air your dirty socks on the doorstep of Parliament House. If we eat enough beans I’m sure even the hardest nosed politician will be asking us to put our gas elsewhere!! We are happy to do that. No one wants gas pollution in their neighbourhood. Speaking of  gas pollution, check this out –

Environmental impacts associated with this proposed development include:

• Clearing of 2400 hectares (24 square kilometres) of Pindan Woodlands and extremely rare Monsoon Vine Thicket plant communities could be affected.
• Dredging is the process of digging a channel and turning basin to allow access for the LNG tankers and other boats. It is a very ecologically damaging process that releases large loads of sediment, and under plans released by the Government up to 21 million tonnes would be dredged.
• Sediment: The release of sediment into the marine environment causes impacts on light-dependant organisms suchas corals and sea grass by smothering the organisms and cutting off the light required for photosynthesis. Suspended sediments impact on filter feeding organisms such as oysters and sponges by clogging their feeding mechanisms, essentially starving the animals. Other organisms such as fish are impacted by the clogging of their gills.
• Humpback Whales: The largest Humpback whale nursery on Earth lies between Broome and Camden Sound on the Kimberley coast. The Kimberley coast is crucial habitat for the Humpback whale, a protected species in Australia. The Kimberley population of whales is internationally significant.
• Fish: James Price Point has been identified as a fish aggregation area, though scientific information is limited. It is likely that future studies will identify fish breeding sites and the dredging and blasting of coral reefs will destroy habitat.
• Turtles: Five marine turtle species, including Australia’s own Flatback turtle, are found in the Kimberley. Studies have identified the James Price point region as an important feeding area for turtles and nesting has been recorded in the area, though survey effort has been insufficient to date to have a clear idea of the significance of the area as anesting beach. It is known from elsewhere that light pollution and other impacts from this sort of development can impact on turtle hatchling survival.
• Coral: A coral reef province of global significance extends along the Kimberley coast. The James Price Point area is no exception and the area under threat from development is home to many beautiful and diverse coral species.
• Snubfin dolphins: are Australia’s unique dolphin species! Found nowhere else in the world this species has been recently discovered by science and the Kimberley is crucial habitat. The latest research has identified that Snubfin families appear to spend much of their lives in very small territories close to shore. This means Snubfin populations can be heavily impacted by habitat destruction and unsustainable development.
• Reef blasting: the diverse coral and other communities are threatened by the extensive blasting that would be required for port and channel construction.
• Breakwater: the breakwater proposed for the area could be as large as 7km long. Such a large structure would interrupt and change the local current flows, and damage the local ecosystem during construction with unpredictable impacts.
• Seismic pollution (e.g. blasting and ship noise) – studies have implicated seismic pollution in changing migratoryand other behaviour and whale stranding events.
• Climate change: Greenhouse gas emissions would skyrocket, rendering the achievement of WA and Australiagreenhouse gas reduction targets virtually impossible. Conservative estimates of just the initial project indicate that 15 million tonnes of greenhouse gases would be emitted every year – equivalent to 3 million cars (20% of WA’s total).
• Air pollution: Toxic air pollution from the gas hub would release gasses from flare towers and other operations including poisonous nitrogen and sulfur compounds (‘Nox’ and ‘Sox’) known to have negative impacts of humanand wildlife health.
• Sea pollution: Continuous pollution and degradation of the marine environment from drilling, dredging, shipping,and pipelines being laid along the ocean floor.
• Disasters: Shipping and the potential for oil spills – along with this proposed development would come the construction of huge oil and gas rigs and undersea pipelines and a massive increase in shipping. As we saw recently with the Gulf of Mexico and Montara (West Atlas) oil spill off the Kimberley coast, accidents do happen. This region is just too ecologically significant, too special to be put at unnecessary risk.
• Water: A huge amount of fresh water would be required for this project. This will come from groundwater or viadesalination. The use of groundwater is likely to have negative impacts on the waterholes and vegetation of the region. Desalination is an energy (greenhouse) intensive process that also releases highly saline water and chemicals into the marine environment.
• Scott Reef: Scott Reef is in danger, with Woodside planning to put the rig that will pump oil and gas to James Price Point on top of the environmentally important and beautiful Scott Reef.

SAVE THE KIMBERLEY

R day is tomorrow

20 Aug 2011 at 8:54pm

Well hopefully the training and planing will pay off. Come tomorrow we finally Lycra up and head to Broome on our epic non stop trip. If anyone is in Perth tomorrow from 11am we will be assembling there and hitting the open road at 11.45. Come and give us some support.

Will try to post updates as time and Internet permits. See you in Broome.

Nice work Woodside!

11 Jul 2011 at 9:25pm

Goes to show with lots of money and enough greed anything is possible. As Flemming said, how far would he be allowed to go with a bulldozer if he wanted to carve up some wilderness.

I’m not having a go at anyone who works for Woodside just those who make the decisions, and most of all our glorious leader Barnett. You must be so proud right now. Thanks to you our economy is going to prosper, the indigenous will be housed, educated and happy (just like what the mining industry have done for the peoples of the Pilbara) and a whole new industrial scar will cover one of our last wilderness areas! Brilliant.

Right now I could drive a bulldozer right through parliament house, but I wouldn’t. I have too much respect for peoples property and the law!!!!

p.s. I’m not having a go at the police either, they are doing a job like the rest of us.

James Price Point Back in the Spotlight

11 Dec 2010 at 3:16pm

This is taken from thewest.com.au

In its major environmental assessment of the impact of the $30 billion James Price Point gas precinct, the State Government has revealed there could be detrimental impacts for the surrounding marine ecosystem.

To be publicly released on Monday, the six-volume 1500 page draft Strategic Assessment Report details the potential for whale deaths from vessel strikes and physiological impacts on dugongs from blasting works, marine discharge and removal of foraging habitat.

Two years in the making, the report also formally recommends building the project at James Price Point, identifying it as the most commercially viable location.

It’s all about MONEY, as if we didn’t already know.

Does anyone know if the money being given to the aboriginals, $1.5 billion, is being distributed amongst all of them residing in the Kimberley? If so from my research of the Department of Education website, there are about 11,500 aboriginals currently in the area. Now that means they will each get $83 per week for the next 30 years to give up their land. Hmmm I don’t know if that is such a good deal. I think the government thinks it is a good deal!

Can someone please check my figures, I must be wrong, in fact I want to be wrong.

I wonder what $83 will be worth in the year 2040?

Hope you like the shot of the our precious ocean, sorry there is a speck in it I should have cloned out! Shot on the lovely Phase One, when you zoom in to 100% you can see the whales rocking to the beat. Seismic sound sensation! I believe they like metal too! Bring on the Bauxite Rock!!!

The Media has a lot to answer for

15 Oct 2010 at 9:37am

Bob Brown was in Broome this week to talk about JPP, here is the story from the West

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/breaking/8135115/klc-asks-brown-to-respect-gas-hub-support/

Here is the story from the ABC

http://www.abc.net.au/rural/news/content/201010/s3038290.htm?site=kimberley

Here is the story from the Sydney Morning Herald

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/greens-slam-compulsory-wa-land-grab-20101014-16kue.html

Now is it just me or is the story in the West a bit biased to the inevitability that the gas plant is going in at James Price Point? I wonder why??

hmmm thats right Don Voelte is a director of the West !! Surely just a coincidence!

Here is a detail shot I took last week. These compilations can work well to strengthen the images.

First images from James Price Point

5 Oct 2010 at 10:42am

This is a classic North West scene taken on a beautiful sunny day at JPP. What you don’t see behind me is a magnificent lagoon that we swam in everyday. The kids collected Hermit Crabs and built sandcastles whilst I photographed the landscape. There were other visitors to the point including fishermen who drove up the beach to launch their boats and others just pulling in for a dip and a look at what all the fuss is about. We all just loved our stay and had a great bush camp set up under some trees just back from the red cliffs. The beaches are white soft sand and the water is blue. The red adding the awesome contrast that makes the Kimberley unique. There are amazing rocks everywhere of different types. The sandstone was particularly beautiful and all around were large pavements of cracked rock that resembled a crocodile skin. I didn’t see any of the dinosaur prints that are there as you need to know where to look. Brent you would love this place for night seascapes. The best thing is at night it is still 20 degrees or more.

If I was to put an order in for a place to have a holiday, a shoot and a tourism venture this would have to fit the bill. A gas Plant??? No way! You have to see it for yourself to be convinced this is NOT AN UNREMARKABLE LANDSCAPE.

On another note the Landscape 500 website was down for a few days but is working fine now. Make sure you get your entries in it closes at the end of this month.

Greetings from James price point

2 Oct 2010 at 8:49pm

Hey guess what? It isn’t an unremarkable piece of land. In fact it is the exact opposite. Don’t know if our good premier had his head in the sand or the clouds or just had dollar signs in his eyes. I am blown away by what we have seen. Keep an eye on gwn this week and Stateline on the 8th as we were interviewed by them.
Getting some great photos that we will share with you when I get time to do some processing. If this gas plant goes ahead it will be an absolute environmental disaster. You wouldn’t put one on Perth beaches and they are nothing compared to this. You must see it for yourself. George Negus is in broome doing a story on JPP so we hope we might see him out here tomorrow.

Some Housekeeping before I head off to The Kimberley

25 Sep 2010 at 8:45pm

I just got back last night at Midnight from an awesome trip to Karratha shooting Altered Landscapes with some of the best Art Photographers in Australia.
Karratha is the place to go if you want to do this style of photography. I can’t show you the best stuff as it is been kept aside for an exhibition in February. This is an aerial shot from a Cessna we hired for a couple of hours. I love the simplicity of this image.

I am now repacking my bags and head off tomorrow for a couple of weeks up in the Kimbereley including a stay at James Price Point to see what it is all about. If you are meeting up with us or are wanting to, we are meeting at JPP at around lunchtime on the 1st of October. We will be camping out there for a few days at least. Come along if you can make it. Should be great fun and a good opportunity to shoot together.

I have just announced a second Bunker Bay workshop on the 15th and 16th of January 2011 with Nick Rains. The first workshop filled in 4 hours and this one is already half full. If you want to book it go to Nicks Website and register.

Lastly my email account has maxed out at over 350 when I got back last night from Karratha. It is going to be impossible to reply to everyone so if I miss you out please resend your inquiry in a couple of weeks time when I will be home. Sorry for those that have been waiting for a reply. It is just out of control at the moment.