Kakadu’s rock art is of enormous international significance. The park has one of the world’s greatest concentrations of rock art sites. Some paintings are up to 20,000 years old, which makes the artwork one of the longest historical records of any group of people on Earth.
Kakadu National Park. Kakadu has been home to Aboriginal people for more than 65,000 years and our culture is strong. Now that Kakadu is a national park, we work with Parks Australia to welcome people to our country and keep it healthy.
The ancient land of Kakadu brings thousands of years of history to the modern day with its natural scenery and eclectic collection of centuries-old rock art. It is one of the most impressive places to see rock art in Australia, and the artwork has helped it become a World Heritage site.
Who discovered this rock painting?
The earliest discovery of prehistoric rock art was made in India, twelve years before the discovery of the Cave of Altamira in Spain. Archibald Carlleyle discovered rock paintings at Sohagihat in the Mirzapur district of Uttar Pradesh in 1867 and 1868.
How old is the Kakadu rock art?
The paintings provide a fascinating record of Aboriginal life over thousands of years. With paintings up to 20,000 years old, this is one of the longest historical records of any group of people in the world. For more information download the Kakadu rock art fact sheet.
What is revealed by the rock art at Ubirr in Kakadu National Park?
Most of the x-ray paintings in this gallery are from the freshwater period, within the last 1,500 years. They show the abundant foods available in the area round Ubirr, including fish, waterfowl, mussels, wallabies, goanna, echidnas and yams.
How old is the rock art at Ubirr?
The rock faces at Ubirr have been continuously painted and repainted since 40,000 BCE. Most paintings there were created about 2000 years ago. Some have been repainted right up to modern times. There are three main galleries of art accessible to visitors.
Why is the Kakadu rock art important?
Kakadu’s rock art (gunbim) represents one of the longest historical records of any group of people in the world. It is also one of the reasons Kakadu has received World Heritage status. The paintings provide a fascinating record of Aboriginal life over thousands of years.
Where is the rock art in Kakadu?
The main gallery can be found under the Anbangbang rock shelter on the southern side of Nourlangie rock. Archaeologists have revealed that aboriginal people have been using this shelter for around 20,000 years. Some of the best examples of dynamic figures in Kakadu are found here.
What are the names of the rock art galleries in Kakadu?
Our main rock art galleries are at Ubirr and Burrungkuy (Nourlangie). Look for naturalistic paintings of animals, traditional x-ray art, and paintings of early contact with European people.
Why is Aboriginal rock art important?
Why is Aboriginal rock art important? Rock art is one of the few traces of pre-contact Aboriginal society that does not directly relate to the society’s economic needs. It gives us a valuable glimpse of the aesthetics, psychology and spirituality of the artists and their cultures.
Where is Nauiyu?
Nauiyu is a small and peaceful community nestled on the banks of the Daly River, considered by many to be the best barramundi fishing river in Australia. Nauiyu is 230km south of Darwin and 250km north west of Katherine and is accessible by sealed road, making the Daly River accessible in most weather conditions.
Who was the Daly River named after?
The Daly, explored in 1865 by Boyle Finniss, first governor of a proposed settlement in the territory, and named after Sir Dominick Daly, then governor of South Australia, is navigable for 70 miles (115 km) above its tidal mouth.
What is Daly waters famous for?
Destination made famous by the iconic Daly Waters Pub. Daly Waters is essentially a fancy name for a roadhouse which is the local, and famous, Daly Waters Pub. Travellers making the long journey up the Stuart Highway are persuaded that the pub is unique and worth stopping at.
Can you swim in the Daly River?
The Daly River region is popular with lovers of the outdoors. Pack a fishing rod and your camping gear to experience its hot springs, gorges, walks, swimming holes and famous barramundi fishing.
More Answers On Who Discovered Kakadu Rock Paintings
Rock art | Kakadu National Park – Parks Australia
Kakadu’s rock art is of enormous international significance. The park has one of the world’s greatest concentrations of rock art sites. Some paintings are up to 20,000 years old, which makes the artwork one of the longest historical records of any group of people on Earth. The paintings provide a fascinating record of Aboriginal life over …
Rock art – DAWE
The rock art in Kakadu was painted for a number of reasons. … Rock paintings are generally found in sheltered areas away from the direct effects of the elements, but even the most protected sites can be damaged by the actions of water, animals, insects, plants and people. In Dreaming painting, use special paint, ochre, blood. Come back with that feeling. Ceremony painting is not for everyone …
Discover Kakadu’s Indigenous Rock Art – aptouring.com
Discover Kakadu’s Indigenous Rock Art In Kakadu National Park, Ubirr is home to one of the most accessible and extraordinary galleries of indigenous rock art, as explored by Lee Atkinson. Time stands still beneath the stony overhangs on the edge of Arnhem Land Escarpment.
Exploring Aboriginal Rock Art at Kakadu
Exploring Aboriginal Rock Art at Kakadu The ancient land of Kakadu brings thousands of years of history to the modern day with its natural scenery and eclectic collection of centuries-old rock art. It is one of the most impressive places to see rock art in Australia, and the artwork has helped it become a World Heritage site. Some paintings date back 20,000 years, providing one of the longest …
History | Kakadu National Park – Parks Australia
The beginning of the park. Kakadu National Park was declared in stages, starting in the 1970s. It was a time when Australians were becoming more interested in declaring national parks for conservation and in recognising the land interests of Aboriginal people. The name Kakadu was suggested to recognise Gagudju, an Aboriginal language which used …
Kakadu National Park & Arnhem Land Aboriginal Rock Art Chronology
Rock Art Chronolgy. 50,000 years ago. From this date, haematite and red and yellow ochres were used to prepare pigment. Extinct megafauna; thylacine; Tasmanian devil; terrestial animals; rock python; freshwater crocodiles; human beings; earliest x-ray paintings. Human beings in complex apparel; anthropomorphs; zoomorphs;terrestial animals …
Aboriginal history and culture of Kakadu National Park, Northern …
A number of paintings here date as late as 1964, painted by Nayombolmi (Barramundi Charlie), who is thought to have created around 604 paintings at 46 sites in Arnhem Land.
Ubirr | Kakadu National Park – Parks Australia
Ubirr hosts some of the world’s most outstanding rock art and is one of the reasons for Kakadu’s dual World Heritage status. The paintings document ancient human interaction with the environment. A few galleries have an extra element of intrigue with some of the first interactions with non-Aboriginal people recorded. X-ray art.
Carvings and paintings, Kakadu – Smarthistory
May 27, 2021Kakadu National Park (UNESCO/NHK) This unique archaeological and ethnological reserve, located in the Northern Territory, has been inhabited continuously for more than 40,000 years. The cave paintings, rock carvings and archaeological sites record the skills and way of life of the region’s inhabitants, from the hunter-gatherers of prehistoric …
Stories | Kakadu National Park – Parks Australia
During the buildup to the tropical summer, Kakadu is visited by huge numbers of Namarrkon’s children – the alyurr, or Leichhardt’s Grasshopper. Feeding on the pityrodia plant, the alyurr call to their father, who answers with powerful storms and lightning displays. Rock art at Ubirr depicting the Rainbow Serpent.
Kakadu National Park. Aboriginal Rock Paintings at Nanguluwur and …
A number of figures at the Lightning Man rock art site were repainted by Nayambolmi (sometimes spelt Najombolmi), in 1963 and 1964. Repainting was part of the rock art tradition, although not all rock art was repainted. Only people who were ’authorised’ or recognised as artists were allowed to repaint.
First rock art | National Museum of Australia
Apr 4, 2022Across Australia rock art is an integral part of First Nations life and customs, dating back to the earliest times of human settlement on the continent. Petroglyphs (rock engravings) and pictographs (drawings) are a key component of rock art. Researchers estimate that there are more than 100,000 significant rock art sites around Australia.
Now we will look at a classification of Kakadu art styles. The first classification was adopted by Charles Mountford, who studied Kakadu rock art mainly around Oenpelli and Obiri Rock in 1948. He divided the styles into two broad groups, the older mono chrome “Mimi” and the more recent, polychrome “X-ray” styles. Mimi Art.
Kakadu National Park: The ’Soul of Australia’ has Some of the Oldest …
One such painting created by Najombolmi, a renowned artist who lived from 1895 to 1967 and created around 604 paintings at 46 sites in Arnhem Land, depicts anthropomorphic figures of ancestral beings such as ’lightning man’, painted in this style using blue, that’s said to have come from pigment Europeans put in washing to keep clothes white.
Carvings and paintings, Kakadu – Smarthistory
Apr 6, 2022Kakadu National Park (UNESCO/NHK) This unique archaeological and ethnological reserve, located in the Northern Territory, has been inhabited continuously for more than 40,000 years. The cave paintings, rock carvings and archaeological sites record the skills and way of life of the region’s inhabitants, from the hunter-gatherers of prehistoric …
History of the park – DAWE
A national park was first suggested in the region in 1965 at a time when Australians were becoming more interested in declaring national parks for conservation and in recognising the land interests of Aboriginal people. Discussions continued over the next decade. During this time the name Kakadu was suggested to recognise Gagudju, an Aboriginal language which used to be spoken in the park.
Aboriginal rock art in Kakadu National Park, Australia
These rock shelters provided good campgrounds from which to exploit the rich resources of the East Alligator River and the Nadab floodplain. Also found in the Ubirr rock art galleries is the powerful creation ancestor – the Rainbow Serpent or Garranga’rreli. Many are a bit like x-ray paintings and are an estimated 1,500 years old. Here is a …
Kakadu Rock Art – Not There Yet…
The rock art of Kakadu represents some of the oldest documented history of any people on Earth. Although there are thousands of art sites in Kakadu, only a few are open for everyone to view. I visited the Nourlangie art site, which is very beautiful to see. Here creator ancestor spirits are painted to tell a story, including the pretty scary Lightning Man, Namarrgon. Depictions of animals are …
AI to help unearth Indigenous rock art | The West Australian
Aaron Bunch AAP. Sat, 2 July 2022 3:02PM. An algorithm was trained to detect rock art using more than a thousand images from Kakadu. Credit: AAP. Digital technology could help archaeologists unearth undiscovered Indigenous rock art masterpieces in the Australian wilderness and give citizen scientists an opportunity to contribute to research.
AI to help unearth Indigenous rock art | The Standard | Warrnambool, VIC
TodayAn algorithm was trained to detect rock art using more than a thousand images from Kakadu. Digital technology could help archaeologists unearth undiscovered Indigenous rock art masterpieces in the …
Welcome to Kakadu, Ch 20: Caring for rock art in Kakadu
Aug 19, 2021Join Kakadu National Park cultural heritage officer Kadeem May and visit a well-known rock art site at Burrungkuy (Nourlangie). Today Bininj/Mungguy traditional owners of Kakadu work together with …
Nanguluwurr | Kakadu National Park – Parks Australia
You’ll be transported back in time at the Nanguluwurr Gallery – a rock art site on the northern side of Burrungkuy (Nourlangie), tucked away at the end of a 1.7 km walk. Here you can see powerful depictions of ancestral spirits, animals, and the fascinating early depiction of contact between Aboriginal people and Europeans in the form of a …
Kakadu rock art: Where art leaps out at you – Traveller
Kakadu holds the largest protected collection of rock art in the world, with more than 5000 registered art sites holding artworks up to 20,000 years old, and an hour later we get to see one of …
Nourlangie Rock Art in Kakadu National Park
Nourlangie Rock is best-known for its stunning collection of rock art that spans back centuries. The walls of the rock have been used as a shelter and a canvas for thousands of years, marking the spot where local tribes communicated with each other and drew out their stories and memories. The paintings offer visitors the chance to delve into …
The Best Rock Art in Kakadu – Venture North Safaris
The main gallery can be found under the Anbangbang rock shelter on the southern side of Nourlangie rock. Archaeologists have revealed that aboriginal people have been using this shelter for around 20,000 years. Some of the best examples of dynamic figures in Kakadu are found here.
Aboriginal Rock Art – Our Shadows Will Remain
The main reason for Kakadu’s World Heritage Status is because of its collection of Aboriginal rock art in the area. The art details the history of the Aboriginal people of Australia and features some key historical moments, including the early contact with European people. The art is evidence of the close personal relationship that Aboriginal…
Aboriginal Rock Art | Kakadu National Park | Australia – OzOutback
Ubirr, or Obiri Rock, in the north east of Kakadu, has some of the finest examples of “X-ray art” in the world. The artist not only painted the outside but also the bones and internal organs of the animals, mostly fish like barramundi, but also turtles, birds and reptiles. Most of these paintings are less than 1500 years old.
Kakadu Rock Art, Kakadu National Park, Southeastern Darwin, Australia
The rock arts in Kakadu national park represent earliest human civilization, back more than 40000 years ago. The ancient art in Kakadu mainly represents hunting, ritual ceremonies and social life of the different inhabitants of life from different period of time. The oldest paintings in Kakadu park dated back 20000 years. The most recent rock …
Kakadu National Park – Wikipedia
Rock art painting at Ubirr In 1862, John McDouall Stuart travelled along the south-western boundary of Kakadu but did not see any people. The first non-Aboriginal people to visit and have sustained contact with Aboriginal people in northern Australia were the Macassans from Sulawesi and other parts of the Indonesian archipelago.
Kakadu National Park & Arnhem Land Aboriginal Rock Art Chronology
Rock Art Chronolgy. 50,000 years ago. From this date, haematite and red and yellow ochres were used to prepare pigment. Extinct megafauna; thylacine; Tasmanian devil; terrestial animals; rock python; freshwater crocodiles; human beings; earliest x-ray paintings.
Resource
https://parksaustralia.gov.au/kakadu/do/rock-art/
https://www.awe.gov.au/parks-heritage/national-parks/kakadu-national-park/culture-and-history/rock-art
https://www.aptouring.com/voyage/holidays-in-australia/discover-kakadus-indigenous-rock-art
https://kakadunationalparktours.com.au/blog/exploring-aboriginal-rock-art-at-kakadu/
https://parksaustralia.gov.au/kakadu/discover/history/
http://www.kakadu.net.au/visitor-information/rock-art-chronology
https://www.odysseytraveller.com/articles/aboriginal-history-and-culture-of-kakadu-national-park-northern-territory/
https://parksaustralia.gov.au/kakadu/do/rock-art/ubirr/
https://smarthistory.org/carvings-and-paintings-kakadu/
https://parksaustralia.gov.au/kakadu/discover/culture/stories/
http://thenomadicexplorers.com/content/kakadu-national-park-aboriginal-rock-paintings-nanguluwur-and-nourlangleanbangbang-gallery
https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/first-rock-art
https://www.davidmwelch.com.au/pdf%20Files/Welch_Kakadu_Rock_Art.PDF
https://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places/kakadu-australia-0010671
https://smarthistory.org/carvings-and-paintings-kakadu-2/
https://www.awe.gov.au/parks-heritage/national-parks/kakadu-national-park/culture-and-history/history-park
http://www.worldwanderingkiwi.com/2012/06/australia-aboriginal-rock-art/
https://www.notthereyetblog.com/kakadu-rock-art/
https://thewest.com.au/entertainment/ai-to-help-unearth-indigenous-rock-art-c-7385492
https://www.standard.net.au/story/7804586/ai-to-help-unearth-indigenous-rock-art/
https://www.abc.net.au/education/welcome-to-kakadu-ch-20-caring-for-rock-art-in-kakadu/13500300
https://parksaustralia.gov.au/kakadu/do/rock-art/nanguluwurr/
https://www.traveller.com.au/journey-through-ancient-rock-art-gtzb47
https://kakadunationalparktours.com.au/attractions/nourlangie-rock/
https://venturenorth.com.au/northern-territory-tourism-blog/the-best-rock-art-in-kakadu-national-park/
https://ourshadowswillremain.com/2015/01/13/aboriginal-rock-art/
https://ozoutback.com.au/Australia/rockartkakadu/index.html
https://www.infyworld.com/kakadu-rock-art-kakadu-national-park-southeastern-darwin-australia/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kakadu_National_Park
http://www.kakadu.net.au/index.php/visitor-information/rock-art-chronology