Aboriginal rock art sites to visit

These sites are managed by parks agencies, often jointly with Traditional Owners, and are open to the public. Some can only be visited on guided tours.

New South Wales

• Mutawintji Historic Site — engravings, stencils and paintings; guided tours with Aboriginal operators. See Mutawintji National Park.
• Mount Grenfell Historic Site — near Cobar, with hundreds of motifs.
• Gundabooka National Park — the Mulgowan (Yappa) art site near Bourke.

Queensland

• Carnarvon Gorge — the Art Gallery and Cathedral Cave. See Carnarvon Gorge.
• Boodjamulla — rock art on the Wild Dog Dreaming walk. See Boodjamulla.

South Australia

• Arkaroo Rock and Sacred Canyon — in the Flinders Ranges. See Ikara-Flinders Ranges.

Northern Territory

• Uluru — rock art along the Mala and Kuniya walks. See Uluru-Kata Tjuta.
• Kakadu — Ubirr and Burrungkuy (Nourlangie), in the Top End.

Etiquette

Don't touch, don't add marks, keep to paths, obey photography signs and never remove anything from a site.

Understanding rock art

Aboriginal rock art is one of the longest-running art traditions in the world. It takes several main forms: engravings (petroglyphs), pecked or abraded into rock surfaces; paintings, made with ochres, clays and charcoal; stencils, where pigment was blown around a hand, boomerang or other object; and in some regions beeswax figures. Motifs include animal tracks, circles, human figures, ancestral beings and the animals people hunted. Many sites remain deeply significant to Traditional Owners, and the stories associated with them may be restricted. Signs and guides share what is appropriate for visitors to know.

Dating rock art is difficult, and estimates for individual sites vary widely. Parks agencies generally describe the outback's oldest engravings as many thousands of years old, while some paintings were made or retouched in living memory. Treat any precise age you hear with caution unless it comes from the managing agency.

Western Australia

• Murujuga (Burrup Peninsula) — near Karratha in the Pilbara, Murujuga holds one of the world's largest concentrations of rock engravings. Murujuga National Park is jointly managed by the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation and WA's Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, and the cultural landscape was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2025. Visitors can see engravings at accessible sites such as Ngajarli (Deep Gorge), where a boardwalk has been built.
• The Kimberley — the region is famous for Gwion Gwion and Wandjina paintings. Most sites are remote and best visited with Aboriginal guides or licensed tour operators. Ask in Derby or Kununurra.

Northern Territory

• Ewaninga Rock Carvings Conservation Reserve — south of Alice Springs, with engravings on sandstone outcrops beside a claypan.
• N'Dhala Gorge and Emily and Jessie Gaps — in the East MacDonnell Ranges, with engravings and paintings associated with Arrernte caterpillar Dreaming stories.
• Kakadu — Ubirr and Burrungkuy (Nourlangie) are among Australia's best-known painting sites, with ranger talks in the dry season. Check Parks Australia for seasonal access, as some roads close in the wet.

South Australia

• Yourambulla Caves — near Hawker, with painted rock shelters reached on a short walk.
• Chambers Gorge — in the northern Flinders Ranges, with extensive engravings along the gorge walls. Access is by unsealed road; check conditions first.
• Arkaroo Rock and Sacred Canyon — within or near Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park, with ochre paintings and engravings significant to the Adnyamathanha people.

New South Wales and Queensland

In NSW, the Mutawintji Historic Site within Mutawintji National Park is only accessible on a guided tour, protecting fragile stencils and engravings. Mount Grenfell Historic Site, west of Cobar, has painted shelters with a short walking track and is managed with the Ngiyampaa people. In Queensland, the Art Gallery and Cathedral Cave walks at Carnarvon Gorge show stencilled hands, boomerangs and engravings on sandstone walls, protected by boardwalks.

Visiting responsibly

Rock art is irreplaceable. The oils and salts from human skin damage pigments, and dust from feet can build up on lower panels.

• Never touch the art, even if it seems robust, and don't trace engravings with fingers or chalk.
• Stay behind barriers and on boardwalks, which are there to protect both the art and the surrounding archaeological deposits.
• Don't wet the rock to make paintings stand out; water accelerates deterioration.
• Obey photography signs; some sites ask visitors not to photograph certain images. Never use a drone without permission.
• Report damage or vandalism to the managing agency.
• Leave everything where it is. Stone tools and scatters near sites are protected by law in every state and territory.

Planning tips

Many rock art sites are on unsealed roads that can close after rain, and some are only open in the cooler months. Confirm access with the relevant parks agency — NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, National Parks and Wildlife Service South Australia, Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory or Parks and Wildlife Service WA — before setting out. Carry water, sun protection and sturdy shoes, and visit in the morning or late afternoon when the light is softer and it is cooler.

For context on the cultures behind these sites, read Aboriginal culture in the outback and Visiting Country respectfully, and consider joining one of the Aboriginal-led tours and experiences that interpret sites first-hand.

Related park guide: Mount Grenfell.