17 Aug 2023

Soaking in the Ancient Stories of Swift Bay's Rock Art Galleries

The morning began with a Zodiac cruise through the high tide waters of Swift Bay to visit two unique rock art galleries. The rocky islands around Swift Bay were also home to Osprey who had made their nest at a high lookout point where chicks near fledging were observed in the nest as nearby adults were hunting for fish.

After a short rock scramble, we arrived at the first rock art gallery featuring Wandjina paintings and several animals including a large white crocodile, five Oystercatchers, a Stingray, and fish traps. A deep shell midden was also found below all the rock art showing how long people would have gathered here, eating and sharing stories. The site itself also offered shade and everyone found themselves marvelling at the rock art while cooling down. Our guides shared stories about what is known on this rock art type, including the unique three figures with large ears. Some stories suggest these figures are Agula or devil spirits and everyone wondered if these three figures may have been part of a mischievous story.

A quick climb to the second site revealed another type of rock art, the more ancient Gwion Gwion art. The slender figures painted on the walls showed just how long people had been gathering in this area with other sites using a similar art style being carbon dated to at least 17,000 years old. Adjacent to the rock art was a narrow entrance into a cave. Once inside the cave, everyone observed large dragonflies flitting through beams of sunlight. The bravest of us followed our guides into the darkest crevice of the cave where several cave crickets and Trap-jaw Ants could be found. At the very end of the chamber, arachnid fans enjoyed observing a female tarantula sitting at the entrance of its silken burrow.

The afternoon was dedicated to a true expedition where pairs of Zodiacs scouted Katers Island with some of our more adventurous guests. After spotting several interesting birds including Crested Terns, White-faced Herons, and Pied Imperial-pigeons, each set of Zodiacs made a landing on a new beach. The first group spent time observing Spinifex Ants with their unique chambers protecting their Mealybugs and lots of Hermit Crabs making the rocks of the beach look alive with each moving shell while the second group discovered a large crocodile sunning itself among the rocks rounding out another unforgettable day of adventure.

Image (c) by: C.Finch