What is Ubirr in Kakadu?
Ubirr is a rock art site in northern Kakadu National Park, famous for ancient Aboriginal paintings and a lookout with spectacular sunset views over the Nadab floodplain.
The rock shelters at Ubirr hold paintings of fish, turtles, wallabies and spirit figures. Some are in the X-ray style, showing animals' bones and organs.
One painting shows a thylacine, an animal that disappeared from mainland Australia thousands of years ago. This suggests the art is very old.
Sunset lookout
A short climb leads to a rocky lookout over green floodplains. Crowds gather at sunset.
Scenes from the film Crocodile Dundee were filmed at Ubirr.
Ubirr is near the East Alligator River and Cahills Crossing.
The rock shelters were used by Aboriginal people for tens of thousands of years, and layers of paintings record changes in animals, tools and climate over time. Some images show Mimi spirits, slender figures believed to have taught people how to paint and hunt. A loop walk of about one kilometre passes the main galleries. Cahills Crossing nearby is a famous spot to watch crocodiles from a safe viewing platform as they hunt fish at the tidal causeway.
Did You Know?
Rangers give free art site talks at Ubirr during the dry season.