Ubirr, once referred to as Obiri Rock, so-named by C. P. Mountford,[1] is a rock formation within the East Alligator region of Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory of Australia, and is known for its rock art. It consists of a group of rock outcrops on the edge of the Nadab floodplain where there are several natural shelters that have a collection of Aboriginal rock paintings, some of which are many thousands of years old. The art depicts certain creation ancestors as well as animals from the area such as barramundi, catfish, mullet, goannas, long-necked turtles, pig-nosed turtles, rock ringtail possums, and wallabies.
From the top of Ubirr rock there is a panoramic view of the floodplains and escarpments.
Ubirr is approximately 40 km from Jabiru along a sealed road. The road is low-lying, so access can be restricted during periods of heavy rain. A short walk from the car park takes visitors past the main art sites to the foot of Ubirr Rock.
The rock faces at Ubirr have been continuously painted and repainted since 40,000 BCE.[2] 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. National Park rangers, many of them Indigenous, give talks at all of these sites.
- ^ "Native Rock Paintings "Startling"". The News (Adelaide). Vol. 53, no. 8, 198. South Australia. 14 November 1949. p. 3. Retrieved 27 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Ching, Francis D.K.; Jarzombek, Mark M.; Prakash, Vikramaditya (2007), A Global History of Architecture, Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., pp. 2, ISBN 0-471-26892-5