Code of Conduct for visits to Dambimangari Country

Mitzy Oobagooma and Robyn Mungullu painting visitors with ceremonial ochre

Dambimangari Traditional Owners have cultural responsibilities across all of their traditional land and sea country. Abiding by this Code of Conduct will help visitors to respect the wishes of Traditional Owners. This Dambimangari website (inclusive of Code of Conduct) is noted on the Transit Permit issued for access to Dambimangari country. Key elements of the Code of Conduct are listed below:

1. Don’t paint (this includes the use of mud) or engrave names or graffiti on rocks, caves or buildings, or create any cairns or similar markers or move any stones or objects.
2. Take active measures to avoid touching or brushing against any rock art. You might need to remove backpacks, bags, tall hats or any solid items such as a camera tripods or walking sticks (unless handheld) before entering a site. Avoid overcrowding at rock art sites to ensure adequate space, and stand at least 1m away from art.
3. Stay away from any burial place (a burial place may be identified by heaped stones, a rock shelter or an enclosed fenced site) and stone arrangement sites.
4. Remove everything you bring to the site and take it with you when you leave Dambimangari country.
5. Don’t wash with soaps or detergents in freshwater streams or waterholes.
6. Avoid lighting fires – apart from campfires for cooking purposes, and these must be a safe distance away from any vegetation. Any fires must comply with WA Bushfires Act 1954 and meet relevant restrictions on high fire danger days.
7. Do not move stones to create fireplaces.  Use only fallen timber for firewood – cutting standing vegetation for fires is strictly prohibited.
8. Bury human excreta waste and toilet paper no less than 20cm below ground and 100 meters away from any water course.
9. Stay on established trails where they exist and avoid creating new trails when travelling through country, both for better management of country and also to minimise accidents.
10. Use reasonable endeavours (for example checking socks, shoe soles and velcro on backpacks) to ensure that no soil, seeds, plant specimens, animals or pests are transported into Dambimangari country, especially islands.
11. Do not take or collect any plant, animal, soil, geological specimen or artefact from Dambimangari country.
12. Use reasonable endeavours to ensure that no fruit or vegetables with viable seeds are taken onto Dambimangari land areas. (This restriction covers citrus, tomatoes, passion fruit, melons, avocado, berry fruits (blackberry, etc.), nuts in shells, cucumber, capsicum (peppers), and sweet corn. However dried fruit and vegetables, apples, bananas, tinned fruit, processed nuts, carrots, potatoes, radish, beetroot, peeled onion, garlic and tinned vegetables are acceptable to take on land for consumption with any waste being taken away from the site.
13. Report any damage or issues of concern seen on country, or locations of sites that may be of cultural importance (for example, seen during a bushwalk) to DAC as soon as practical.
14. Due to cultural reasons, visits to the important cultural sites of the beach and adjacent area of Yamariymir; Yawunjarla (Myridi Bay beach); Wotjalum landing area and Mission ruins; Garaan ngarrim; Ngumburi Cave; Wijingarra Bard Bard (Fresh Water Cove); Langgi; Kunmunya Mission ruins; Min-gunya (Port George IV Mission ruins); Hiro Bay Pearling Camp ruins; Uwins Island; and Banjaddoo (Camp Creek Falls and rock art sites), can only occur when visitors  are escorted by a Traditional Owner accredited guide, even when a Dambimangari Visitor Pass and Transit Permit has been issued.

(We will need to check that the above beaches represent the full list of locations off limits to unescorted tour groups)

Visitors are encouraged to engage accredited tour guides to make the most of a trip to Dambimangari country. Significant sites coloured orange in the visit or location schedule can only be visited wit h the oversight of accredited tour guides.

There are two current Traditional Owner operated accredited tour companies on Dambimangari country:

Wijingarra Tours

Jilinya Adventure Tours

Please contact these companies directly to organise your once in a lifetime tour of Dambimangari country.