Part of our The Kimberley guide →
Kimberley rock art at a glance
- Two traditions
- Gwion Gwion figures and Wandjina figures
- Whose country
- Includes Dambimangari and Wunambal Gaambera country
- Access
- By Traditional Owner permission, normally with a guide
- Photography
- Restricted — follow your guide and the permit terms
- Common ship stops
- Raft Point, Vansittart Bay, Jar Island
- Touching
- Never touch a painted surface or wet the pigment
What Are the Two Kimberley Rock Art Traditions?
Gwion Gwion figures — long referred to in older writing as Bradshaw paintings — are fine, elongated human figures in red and mulberry ochre, shown with tassels, ornaments and headdresses. Wandjina figures are large white-faced figures with haloed heads and dark eyes, and are ancestral beings within a living tradition that Traditional Owners have repainted across generations.
| Tradition | Age as currently understood | What you see | How it is described by Traditional Owners |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gwion Gwion (older writing: Bradshaw) | Around 12,000 years for sampled figures; earlier claims contested | Fine, elongated human figures in red and mulberry ochre, with tassels, ornaments and headdresses | Belonging to an ancient period, distinct from Wandjina painting |
| Wandjina | Recent by comparison and continuing today; no single age applies | Large white faces with haloed heads and dark eyes | Ancestral beings connected to rain and season, repainted across generations |
Dating in the Kimberley relies on material over or under the paint rather than the ochre itself, so all figures carry uncertainty.
The two are not versions of the same thing and are not read the same way. We describe them here only as far as Traditional Owner organisations and published sources do. The meaning of specific figures belongs to the people whose country they sit on, and is theirs to share on site if they choose to.
That is also why the strongest visits are the guided ones. A shelter looked at without context is a wall of paint; the same shelter with a Traditional Owner or a specialist guide is the reason people remember the day.
How Old Is Kimberley Rock Art?
Older than almost anything else painted and still visible in Australia, but the specific figures are contested. The strongest current work dates Gwion-style figures to roughly 12,000 years ago. Wandjina painting is far more recent and is still practised, so it is best described as a continuing tradition rather than given an age.
A 2020 radiocarbon study of mud-wasp nests overlying Gwion figures placed the sampled paintings at around 12,000 years old 1. That is younger than the 17,000 to 20,000-plus year figures still repeated in some brochures, and researchers have argued at length over whether the style is Pleistocene at all 2.
Reviews of Kimberley dating methods make the underlying problem clear: ochre itself is difficult to date directly, so ages come from material above or below the paint and carry real uncertainty 3. We give ranges on this page rather than single numbers, and we would rather be vague than confidently wrong.
Can You Visit Kimberley Rock Art Sites on a Cruise?
Yes, at specific sites and only with permission. Shore visits are made under Traditional Owner access arrangements, and expedition ships hold the licences and passes that allow their guests ashore. No Kimberley rock art site should be treated as freely accessible.
On Wunambal Gaambera country, visitors travel under the Uunguu Visitor Pass, which is the Wunambal Gaambera people's consent to visit named Visitor Locations and nowhere else 4. Licensed operators arrange this for their guests; you do not organise it yourself.
In practice this means walking only where your guide walks, staying on the marked route, and accepting that a site can be closed on the day for cultural reasons. Our responsible travel page sets out how we think about that, and it is not a formality on this coast.
Can You Photograph Wandjina and Gwion Gwion Art?
Not freely. Wunambal Gaambera Aboriginal Corporation states that you may not photograph, film or reproduce images in any media form for commercial or academic purposes, or for media sharing platforms including social media, without written permission first. Treat personal photography as something your guide grants, not something you assume.
The corporation's media protocols require approval for filming on Wunambal Gaambera country and set out that written permission comes first 5. Other groups on this coast manage their own sites and may take a different position again.
Our advice is simple: ask at the site, follow the answer exactly, and do not post anything to social media unless you have been told in writing that you may. If nobody has told you either way, assume you may not.
How Should You Behave at a Rock Art Shelter?
Stay on the path, keep back from painted surfaces, touch nothing, and never wet pigment to bring out colour. Skin oils and moisture both accelerate damage. Leave nothing, take nothing, and follow the guide's instruction over your own judgement about where you may stand.
Clients consistently tell us the guiding is what separates a good rock art morning from a forgettable one, and that the quiet on site is part of it. Groups that arrive noisily tend to leave without much.
Have You Seen These Sites Yourselves?
No. We have not been to the Kimberley — we sail it in 2027 with Seabourn. Everything here comes from published research, Traditional Owner organisations and what clients have told us after their voyages. When we have stood in front of these shelters, we will say so and rewrite the page.
We label client feedback as client feedback throughout, and we do not put words in the mouth of anyone we have sent. See where we've been for the full record.
Kimberley rock art questions
How old is Kimberley rock art?
Sampled Gwion Gwion figures have been dated to around 12,000 years old, and older estimates are contested. Wandjina painting is a continuing tradition still practised today, so no single age applies to it.
Do you need permission to visit Kimberley rock art?
Yes. Sites sit on Traditional Owner country and are visited under access arrangements such as the Uunguu Visitor Pass on Wunambal Gaambera country. Licensed expedition operators hold these for their guests.
Can you take photographs of Wandjina figures?
Not without permission. Wunambal Gaambera Aboriginal Corporation requires written permission before images are taken or reproduced for commercial or academic use or for social media. Follow your guide's instruction on site.
Which rock art sites do Kimberley cruises visit?
Commonly Raft Point, Vansittart Bay and Jar Island, subject to tides, weather and Traditional Owner access on the day.