How old is the rock art in Kakadu?
Some rock art in Kakadu National Park is thought to be at least 20,000 years old, and the painting tradition may go back much further. Kakadu holds one of the longest continuous art records on Earth.
Kakadu contains thousands of rock art sites, painted with ochre in shelters along the Arnhem Land escarpment. The art records changes in the environment, animals, tools and beliefs over a vast span of time.
Older styles include dynamic human figures and large naturalistic animals, some now extinct, such as the thylacine. Later styles reflect the rise of sea levels after the last ice age, showing fish, turtles and estuary animals.
X-ray art
The well-known X-ray style, showing the bones and organs of animals, developed in the last few thousand years. Contact art shows ships, guns and Europeans.
Excavations at Madjedbebe, a rock shelter on the edge of Kakadu, found ground ochre and tools about 65,000 years old.
Ubirr and Burrungkuy are the main public art sites, with boardwalks, signs and free ranger talks during the dry season. Other sites, such as Nanguluwurr, are reached on longer walks.
Many other sites are closed to visitors because they are sacred or fragile. Dust, insects, water and touching can damage the ochre, so visitors are asked never to touch the paintings. Researchers work with Traditional Owners to date and protect the art.
Did You Know?
Bininj people continue to repaint and care for some rock art sites.