Attracted by information of a major rock art site, we drove to a small community called Laura about 100 km away from Cooktown.

We asked Willie about this site but he was very quick to point out that a different tribe was the traditional owner of the land in the Laura area and that he knew nothing or would say nothing about the rock art . According to the information we found, the area around Laura is listed by the United Nations as one of the top ten locations in the world for rock art because of the size, state of preservation, age and diversity of the paintings. We couldn't miss this opportunity to stickybeak.

The art is associated with depiction of Quinkans "terrifying figures of Aboriginal mythology that lurk beyond the light of the campfire waiting for a chance to steal the kidney fat from the belly of the unwary and fill the cavity with green ants. Quinkans reflect tribal marriage customs and restrictions; they are distorted and malformed because they broke those laws. They live in the crevices in caves and their images are marked on the walls."

After a description like that we were really ready to get a look. The panels of rock art accessible without a guide are located at Split Rock a park a few miles from Laura. From the parking lot we could see the cliffs and a short uphill hike (but very hot)  got us to the locations of three main panels . The images did not disappoint. Human figures, animals, fish, birds, turtles, flying foxes (fruit bats), kangaroo tracks, echidna (a spiny anteater) and certainly some strange figures that must be the Quinkan were all depicted. One figure is described by an elder as “Imgin, he’s a bad bugger. He lives like frogs.” To see more images and get an introduction to the rock art, follow the link below and page through the brief but worthwhile presentation.

"The Quinkan Reserves" Text to Short James Cook University on-line introduction to the Quinkan reserves 

Many other panels in the area...but explorers are asked to visit these only with designated and trained guides - usually aborigine.

Postscript: to almost a fault every Australian we met was VERY friendly and hospitable. If we ever wondered...returning to the vehicle  hot and sweaty we found two women enjoying  a picnic lunch and tea in the shady picnic shed. We were both greeted by them (I lingered at rock panels while Ed returned to vehicle to place usual weekly phone call to his Dad in Manitoba) they expressed and concern re heat's effect on us. Tea, lunch, sweeties were all on offer. What a friendly bunch!

Just click on pictures below to see expanded image and additional detail