---
node: au_ubirr_rock_art
type: art
slug: ubirr_rock_art
title: "Ubirr rock art"
lead: "The Aboriginal rock art at Ubirr in Kakadu National Park in northern Australia, painted and repainted over thousands of years."
published: 2026-07-15
updated: 2026-07-15
image_file: ubirr_rock_art.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MK-06997_Ubirr_rock_art.jpg"
image_author: "Martin Kraft"
image_license: "CC BY-SA 3.0"
---

## Overview

Ubirr is a rock outcrop in Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory, whose walls bear many images painted by Aboriginal people over a very long span of time. The place is sacred to the Bininj/Mungguy people.

## Description

The paintings include the X-ray style — showing fish such as barramundi and other animals with their bones and organs — as well as the Rainbow Serpent and spirit figures called Mimi. Some depict the contact period, with sailing ships and people holding guns.

## History and legacy

This rock art is part of one of the world's oldest continuous art traditions and is bound up with oral stories and law. Kakadu is inscribed as a World Heritage Site for both its nature and its culture.