Murujuga draws new global attention after TIME recognition

Western Australia’s Murujuga Cultural Landscape is attracting renewed international attention after being named on TIME’s list of the World’s Greatest Places for 2026, a development that Traditional Owners and supporters say could deepen global recognition of one of the most significant cultural landscapes on Earth.

The Pilbara site, which secured UNESCO World Heritage status in 2025, is home to an immense concentration of rock art and cultural sites across the Burrup Peninsula, surrounding islands and adjacent marine areas. UNESCO describes Murujuga as a deeply storied land and seascape shaped by Lore and by the enduring presence of the Ngarda-Ngarli, with more than 50,000 years of continuous care and management reflected in the place.

TIME’s new listing places Murujuga before a large international readership and frames the landscape as a destination of exceptional significance, noting both the density of its petroglyphs and the living cultural record they hold. The site is only the second in Australia recognised by UNESCO specifically for its Indigenous cultural values, an important distinction in a country where First Nations heritage has often been celebrated rhetorically while fighting for stronger long-term protection.

For Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation chair Peter Hicks, the recognition is meaningful because it affirms that the landscape is not a relic of the distant past but a living cultural place. He told National Indigenous Times that Murujuga is “not just a place of ancient art” but a place where the relationship between people, Country and culture continues. That point matters because Traditional Owners have consistently argued that the significance of Murujuga cannot be reduced to tourism value or archaeological age alone.

The latest attention also arrives after a long campaign to secure broader recognition. Reporting this week noted the World Heritage nomination was advanced through years of scientific and cultural assessment and supported by representatives of the region’s five Traditional Owner groups: the Yaburara, Mardudhunera, Ngarluma, Yindjibarndi and Wong-Goo-Tt-Oo peoples. Custodians travelled to Paris last year as part of the effort to build international backing for the listing.

The new TIME recognition is likely to bring more eyes to Murujuga, but it also raises a familiar question: what follows recognition? For Traditional Owners, international praise can help strengthen the case for protection, education and respectful visitation. It can also bring greater scrutiny over how the landscape is managed and whether its living cultural values remain central as awareness grows.

In that sense, this week’s development is about more than prestige. It marks another shift in how Murujuga is being seen globally – not as a remote curiosity, but as a place of enduring First Nations authority, cultural continuity and world significance.