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Kakadu National Park

Australia · Oceania · ✦ UNESCO World Heritage Site
Exceptional

The X-ray style exists nowhere else on Earth; a living tradition maintained for 20,000 years

Age
~20,000 yrs
Period
Pleistocene–Recent
Setting
Rock shelter
Art form
Paintings
Discovered
1964
Status
Open to Visitors
⧗ See it on the timeline

A UNESCO World Heritage site with one of the world's greatest concentrations of rock art, spanning at least 20,000 years of living tradition still maintained by Aboriginal Australians today. Famous for its unique 'X-ray' style paintings that depict the internal bones and organs of animals and humans — a style found nowhere else on Earth.

Notable Features

  • X-ray art style (unique)
  • 20,000+ years of living tradition
  • Ubirr and Nourlangie sites

Depicted Subjects

KangaroosBarramundiTurtlesHuman FiguresThylacine (Tasmanian Tiger)Mimih Spirits

Plan a Visit

AccessThis cave can be visited.
Sources & Further Reading
◈ Official site≡ Wikipedia✦ UNESCO listing➤ Directions
Hours & prices change — always confirm on the official site before travelling.
Photographs via Wikimedia Commons — image credits. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.