Australia: The Land Where Time Began

A biography of the Australian continent 

In Marnggala Cave on Groote Eylandt in the Gulf of Carpentaria, the Aboriginal People painted Macassan praus on the cave walls, that were accurately portrayed, with sails set, including the rudder and anchor. On the cave walls are recorded the different styles of prau that visited the island. Some of the paintings show men with their arms raised working. Each fleet brought at least 1 man who called them to prayer (they were Moslems), usually by climbing to the top of the mast. This man on the mast is depicted in some of the paintings, as well as decks laden with supplies for the journey to Australia. As is usual in Australian native art, the ships are depicted in cross-section, x-ray style, showing the interiors, the cargo being shown in plan form.

Sources & Further reading

• R.M. & C.H.Berndt, The world of the First Australians, 1964, Ure Smith, Sydney
• Jennifer Isaacs, Australian Dreaming: 40,000 years of Aboriginal History, New Holland Publishers, 2005

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