Ancient Kimberley rock paintings celebrated in new Australia Post stamp collection

A new set of stamps featuring 12,000-year-old Kimberley rock paintings are circulating this month as part of Australia Post’s move to highlight the nation’s Indigenous history.

The Rock Art of the Kimberley designs depict paintings from the Wanjina Wunggurr Community across the northern Kimberley, a region widely recognised as housing some of the world’s oldest surviving artworks.

One stamp shows a 5000-year-old painting of freshwater crocodiles, in Wandjina style, from a rock shelter near the Gibb River Road in Ngarinyin Country.

The other depicts Gwion figures from near Mitchell Falls on Wunambal Gaambera Country, which date between 12,000 and 13,000 years old.

Australia Post manager philatelic Michael Zsolt said the collectable stamps highlighted some of the rich history of Indigenous peoples across the nation.

“The Kimberley region of Western Australia is one of the world’s richest rock art sites, a dynamic cultural landscape situated within steep mountain ranges, sandstone and limestone gorges, waterfalls, pristine rivers and a rugged coastline that gives way to islands and coral reefs,” he said.

“Aboriginal peoples created storytelling through thousands of engravings, paintings and markings in rock shelters and surfaces across Australia. It speaks to the lands they occupied and cared for more than 60,000 years.”

This is not the first time Indigenous artwork from the Kimberley has been featured.

In 2020, artists Boxer Milner and Eubena Nampitjin, associated with Warlayirti Artists in Balgo, east Kimberley, had their artworks included in the Art of the Desert collection.

Both Art of the Kimberley and Art of the Desert collections can be purchased through the Australia Post website, part of 10 historical stamps to honour Indigenous people.