Day 38 - Garig Gunak Barlu National Park to Darwin

By 9.30 we were on the road, and dropped into the Ranger's Station to let them know we were leaving. We left promptly, arriving at Ubirr around 2pm. I successfully negotiated Cahill's Crossing, but there was considerably less water in it than three days ago. I was relieved. There are extensive rock paintings at Ubirr, worth enduring the intense midday heat. We were not disappointed.

All the above paintings are of barramundi, below is another type of fish and a turtle.

 

Yellow is a very precious colour to the tribe that painted these. They are considered modern at 2000 years old.

 

This is an illustration of a Thylacine.

 

This one reminds me of the tick that was in my ear.

 

Above is the mortar used to crush sap and rocks to mix the colours, worn from years of use. There are older paintings at this site, but the importance to the aboriginals was the act of the painting rather than the result, so they painted on top of earlier examples. Traditionally only men and boys painted.

Now we were on bitumen we made good time to Howard Springs, 23km southeast from Darwin. It was more humid than ever but I served up the last of a lamb shank and barley soup I'd made a few days ago. We were all exhausted by the long day, but had no regrets about stopping at Ubirr.

 

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