More Rock Art
Today we viewed the 2nd and 3rd rock art galleries available to the public within Kakadu. These two galleries are known collectively as Nourlangie. There are approximately 5,000 rock art sites within the Kakadu area that are known and probably the same again that the indigenous population choose not to reveal.
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| Burrunggui escarpment [Nourlangie], Kakadu NT |
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| Ancestor Spirit, Kakadu NT |
At the first site we listened to 3 very informative ranger talks. The first took place at a high point on the escarpment with wonderful views over the surrounding plains. The third was in a rock shelter with archaeological evidence of occupation dating back 20,000 years. The fellow in the painting is in the most recent X ray style. He waits for unwary women who wander off into the bush by themselves, hits them with a yam and then devours them!
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| Kapok flower, Kakadu NT |
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| Ochre grinding rock, Kakadu NT |
The second site is on the opposite side of the escarpment and is much less visited. Although an easy walk in, it was very hot and humid. This site had good examples of layers of paintings. One example was of a kangaroo, probably thousands of years old overlaid with a hand and then overlaid again with a fish. This gallery also contains a detailed painting of a ship which has been made within the last 150 years. There was an 'artist's palette' nearby with clearly defined depressions in the rock where the ochres have been ground and mixed.
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| 3 layers of paint [kangaroo, hand, fish] Kakadu NT |
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| European ship, Kakadu NT |
After this it was back to the campsite to cool off in the pool.
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