Woodside’s proposed $30-billion gas plant on WA’s north-west coast has been fiercely opposed by environmentalists and some Aboriginal groups.

Now palaeontologists have joined in the chorus of opposition.

They say the stretch of Kimberley coastline targeted for the development, is home to some of the world’s best preserved dinosaur footprints.

Before the backpackers arrived and the resorts were built, 130 million years ago enormous dinosaurs, such as the bony Stegosaurus, roamed the area around Broome.

“Estimates on the size of some of these animals range from between 30-40 metres, making them potentially some of the biggest dinosaurs that ever existed.”

Steve Salisbury is a palaeontologist from the University of Queensland.

He says the last remaining evidence of the creatures are fossilised footprints that stretch from Broome to James Price Point, 60 kilometres north.

Their exact location is a closely guarded secret, because the prints are highly prized on the black market, and some of the best have already been drilled out and stolen.

The problem is James Price Point is where Woodside and its four Joint Venture partners are hoping to build an LNG processing precinct, to open up the massive Browse Basin gas reserves.

That’s a big concern for Dr Salisbury.

“Given that the new gas hub is going to occur right in the middle of where they’re known, it’s going to open that area up to potentially more traffic, and potential damage to some of these trackway areas which would be a real shame.”

There is one immediate way in which the footprints could be protected.

The Kimberley is currently being reviewed for National Heritage Listing, but the draft map released last month has left out most of the Peninsula.

A local conservationist, Kerrie Marvell says she can’t understand why.

“The Heritage Council has been made aware that dinosaur footprints actually go all the way up the coast, so I wonder why they’re ignoring that fact seeing that they’re protected.”

Heritage council wants locations

The Heritage Council’s Libby Mattiske says the map is only a draft and the footprints may be included by the time it goes to the Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett for approval.

“We’re aware that the tracks exist but we do not have specific locations other than Gantheaume Point. For any locals, if anyone does have specific locations then obviously that information would be very valuable to the council members.”

It’s possible that the Heritage Listing of James Price Point could bring an end to plans to build the gas hub there.

Dr Salisbury says it’s a sacrifice worth making.

“If this is the only record we have of those sorts of dinosaurs, not only in Australia but in the world, then protecting these tracks is very important. Because if they’re washed away or even worse, destroyed by development, then that’s it, they’re gone, and you don’t get any other ones.”

Public submissions to the National Heritage Listing review close on May the 14th. A final map will be released at the end of June.