What's Hot in Western Australia

Irreplaceable pearl discovered in the North West

A pearl dated back by 2,000 years has been found in the Kimberley. Discovered by researches in 2011 at Brremangurey rock shelter, the irreplaceable pearl is the only one ever recovered from an ancient site in Australia. To avoid damaging the pearl, researches developed non-destructive ways of examining it and established its age through radiocarbon analysis of surrounding shell midden material. The pearl will go on display at the WA Maritime Museum later this month as part of Lustre: Pearling and Australia, an exhibition which delves into the story of pearling, weaving together Aboriginal, Asian and European histories to reveal insights into one of Australia's oldest industries – Broome in WA's North West was once the biggest pearling centre in the world, and is rich in pearling history today. In other pearling news, Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm, which is 200 kilometres from Broome on the Dampier Peninsula, recently had its first day of harvest for 2015. The raw pearls will go on to be washed, tumbled, polished, graded, valued, set and sold to customers around the world.
www.museum.wa.gov.au/museums/maritime/lustre-pearling-australia

Birthplace of the Giants premieres to international audiences

Incredible new humpback whale footage captured for the first time ever will premiere to audiences around the world this week. Captured off WA's Kimberley coastline, Birthplace of the Giants follows a calf as it travels through the region's warm tropical waters shortly after its birth. The inspiring one-hour documentary follows intrepid WA whale researchers Curt and Micheline Jenner as they use camera quadcopters and night vision technology to film the secret life of the humpback whale. The Kimberley coastline in WA's North West is home to the largest population of humpback whales on the planet. The 'great marine migration' takes place every June to November and sees 35,000 humpback whales make an epic journey from their feeding grounds in the Antarctic to the warm waters of the Kimberley. The film was produced by Jodie and Leighton De Barros from Sea Dog TV International and supported by Lotterywest and ScreenWest.
www.birthplaceofthegiants.com

Red dog returns to the Pilbara

WA's favourite wandering dog will return to the big screen in 2016. Production has started in the Pilbara on Blue Dog, the prequel to the highly-acclaimed Australian film, Red Dog. Veteran Australian actors Bryan Brown and John Jarratt are joined by newcomer Levi Miller and UK actor Jason Isaacs, in the '60s set story of Mick Miller and his dog on a cattle station in the Pilbara. Directed by Kriv Stenders and produced by Nelson Woss, Blue Dog will again put WA's North West on the international stage, highlighting its spectacular landscape and rich cultural heritage.

Website: http://www.reddogmovie.com