Today was mainly about art. Our trusty ship cruised into Vansittart Bay overnight (yes, I know, these place names are ones I’d never heard of before either).

This morning we were transferred by zodiacs to Jar Island for a hike up the hill to view the mysterious Gwion Gwion rock paintings. They are often referred to as the Bradshaw paintings because they were first discovered (by non-Indigenous Australians) by Joseph Bradshaw in 1891, when he stumbled upon them while lost on a Kimberley exploration.

There is some controversy about their origins although experts believe them to be at least 17,000 years old! Some scholars believe they were made by visitors from the near north, when the Australian continent was joined by a land bridge to New Guinea and present day Indonesia.

The elongated hands and fingers of these paintings evoke similarities to art forms found more commonly in those countries, but who knows?

I had to lie on a rock and point my camera up to get this fish painting, which is one of the best preserved as it is totally protected from sunlight. Amazing stuff! Remember, this was done more than 10,000 years before the pyramids!

Pam at the Gwion Gwion gallery with one of the expedition leaders, Greg (the crocodile expert from North Queensland).

‘O