Jar Island is in the south west end of Vansittart Bay in the Kimberleys. Use the link to maps above to have a look around where we are. The island is not far distant from the mainland, and is joined by a shallow rock bar that prevents circumnavigation at low tide. It was named this by Phillip Parker King on account of the broken Macassan pottery that he found here.
This is another site that features the broken sandstone rocks that form overhangs and caves that provided shelter for the first people here. We avoided the northern bay, which reportedly contains even more art, as the navy was busy there on shore with equipment and machines, and came around to the south west side to another art site.
Only a short walk from the beach, across the salt pan and then a scramble up the rocks, following the well worn track of other tourists, and we came to a huge overhanging with a number of caves running off behind. The gallery created by the overhang contains a number of Gwion paintings. Afterwards we continued inland, exploring the rock platforms and fissures, the caves and overhangs, finding art where ever the topography provides a dry wall.
The amazing sandstone rock structures extend from the island out into the bay
The rocky overhang that provided shelter above the beach
Caves and art we found on Jar Island
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