Ubirr Rock lookout
Guide explaining a panel of rock art
At Ubirr Rock your Guide will take you on a guided explanation of many of the rock art galleries that are located under rock overhangs.
You will see 40,000+ years of Aboriginal cultural history represented in the artworks - from depictions of now extinct mainland animals, creation stories and common animal and human depictions in a veriety of styles.
You can walk to the top of the rock for inspiring views over the rich surrounding floodplains.
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Approximately 280km east of Darwin, this group of rock outcrops on the edge of a large floodplain has been the site of continuous Aboriginal painting for an estimated 40,000 years. Artworks in the 'X-ray style' have documented the changing animals and landscapes and social occurrences in the rocks at this site.
The rock overhang at the main gallery was an actual living area, where the traditional Aboriginals would set up camp and live during the wet season. Food items were regularly painted on the back wall (Fish, goannas, long-neck turtles, ring tailed possums, etc).
If you look carefully, among these figures are “white fella” images painted from more recent times. Paintings of animals like the Thylacine (Tasmanian Tiger) which has been extinct on mainland Australia for at least 20,000 years make the area even more remarkable. There are several 'galleries' of art works to walk past and the view from the top of the rocks gives tremendous 360 degree views over the flat plains surrounding Ubirr.
