Kakadu National Park is located south east of Darwin and covers about 20,000 square kilometers. Presently, there are approximately 300 Aboriginal people who reside at 10 locations in the park. Kakadu was named from an Aboriginal language called Gagudju.

On June 26, 2002, our Study Abroad group consisting of 18 students and two instructors departed Darwin and headed for Kakadu National Park. It took us about three hours to reach there. In our three days at the Kakadu National Park, we visited two of the most famous art sites. They are Ubirr and Nourlangie Rock.

Ubirr and Nourlangie rock are galleries for Aboriginal rock art and also places where "Dreaming" was born as Aboriginal cultural lore. Currently, approximately 5,000 art sites have been recorded and another 10,000 sites are believed to exist.

We were amazed and impressed by the creativity and imagination of the Aboriginal rock art we saw. They painted various themes on rocks, including spiritual Mimis, dancing, ceremony, or creation ancestors.

From an archaeologist's point of view, the story of rock art indicates changes in Aboriginal society and in environment over many thousands of years. For Aboriginal people, the paintings serve as both culture and country. At many spots, storyboards are displayed next to the art sites, to offer an explanation about the story and the interpretation of the painting. This gives visitors plenty of background information about the paintings.