Nawarla Gabarnmang is a large rockshelter located in remote Jawoyn Aboriginal country in southwestern Arnhem Land, Australia. Within it is the oldest painting yet radiocarbon dated in Australia. On the roof and pillars are hundreds of vivid interwoven shapes of humans, animals, fish and phantasmagorical figures, all painted in radiant red, white, orange and black pigments representing generations of artworks spanning thousands of years. This photo essay describes some of the initial results from the ongoing investigations of this extraordinary site.
Nawarla Gabarnmang's entrance is 400 meters (1,300 feet) above sea level, and about 180 m (590 ft) above the surrounding plains on the Arnhem Land plateau. The bedrock of the cave is part of the Kombolgie Formation, and the initial opening was created by differential erosion of horizontally stratified, hard orthoquartzite bedrock interbedded with softer sandstone. The resulting plan is a 19-m (52.8-ft) wide gallery that opens to daylight on the north and south, with a sub-horizontal ceiling ranging between 1.75 to 2.45 m (5.7-8 ft) above the cave floor.
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This photo essay is based on several recent publications of the rockshelter, which is currently still under excavation. Photos and additional information were provided by Dr. Bruno David, and a few were originally published in the journal Antiquity in 2013 and are reprinted here with their kind permission. Please see the bibliography for published sources about Nawarla Gabarnmang.
