Finding Australian Aboriginal Art
Northern Territory's Kakadu National Park is Among World's Top Sites
Formerly held by aboriginal people in Australia's north-central region, today Kakadu Park is known as one of the world's richest sites for aboriginal rock art.
To many Kakadu National Park visitors, the most interesting aspect of the area is its cultural heritage.
That heritage tells the story of the Aborigines, who have lived in the land for at least 40,000 years and for the last 25,000 of them have recorded their life with symbols incised or painted on rocks.
Accessible Sites
The two sites accessible to the public are Obiri (Ubirr) Rock and Nourlangie Rock, but you'll only be able to see Obiri's rock art during the dry season since roads to its location are impassible when the waters rise. At both sites, tracks and boardwalks have been built to make viewing easier and to protect the art sites which are open to public viewing.
The earliest paintings are from the Pre-estuarine period, which ended with the rising of the sea level about 7,000 to 9,000 years ago. The main subjects painted in this period were man the hunter, with stone axes, simple spears and boomerangs.
Art of Various Geologic Periods
During the Estuarine period, estuarine species of animals such as the barrimundi fish were introduced into the paintings and x-ray art, showing the internal organs and skeletons of animals, emerged.
The Contact period began when the Aboriginal people started to have extensive contact with outsiders, first Macassans from the islands to the north, then European explorers. The best examples of art from this period are in the main gallery at Obiri Rock.
At both sites, tracks and boardwalks have been built to make viewing easier and to protect the art sites, which are open to public viewing.
Spiritual Site Restrictions
Although there are no aboriginal restrictions regarding the viewing of paintings which involve hunting and food gathering, many areas where the paintings have spiritual significance are off limits to visitors. At Nourlangie Rock, however, non-Aborigines can look at a number of galleries which contain spiritual rock art since all the members of the tribe which held ancestral claim to the land are now dead so the prohibition is no longer in force.
Organized Tours
In order to see the art safely (driving can be challenging and entrance at some sights demands rather steep descents into caves), visitors are advised to join organized tours or to hire a four-wheel-drive vehicle and driver. Arrangements can be made in the tourist center of Jabirua or at resorts within the park.
Also available are Darwin-based tours to Kakadu, which include visits to aboriginal art sites. For further information, check out ntholidays. The latter site contains information about Tiwi Tours, whose Kakadu expeditions are led by Tom Winter, one of the area’s most knowledgeable guides.
