Rock Art Australia and the Australian National University’s School of Culture, History & Language invite you to Rock Art Australia’s national lecture series

‘Two Ways to See’, A Rock Art Research Journey

Presented by Ian Waina and Professor Andy Gleadow AO FAA, the lecture reflects on a decade-long collaborative research project to determine the age of rock art sites on Kwini and Balanggarra Country in the East Kimberley.

“When I was still at school, I started taking people to visit the rock art sites. The big question the tourists would ask was how old is the rock art? To tell the truth I didn’t know. I would answer them with ‘Its older than me and you’. I really wanted to find the answer to that question.” – Ian Waina.

“We knew from the outset that dating rock was a very hard thing to do because it is mostly not possible to date the pigments and other materials used to make the paintings. Instead, we needed to develop new methods and modify existing ones to find out the age of natural events that happened on the rock surface.” – Prof. Andy Gleadow.

Rock art is a significant archive of our rich cultural heritage and helps us understand our Australian history. This lecture will share personal stories and research findings which reveal the age of Australia’s oldest known painting in a rock shelter.

DATE: Thursday 27th March 2025

TIME: 6 – 7:30 pm

VENUE: Australian Centre on China in the World – Lotus Hall
ANU campus building #188

The Australian National University
Fellows Lane, Canberra

COST: Free, but bookings are essential