Where is ochre found in Australia?

Known, fine-quality ochre deposits are spread as far apart as Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, Wilgie Mia in the Murchison region of Western Australia, Red Hill in south-eastern Australia, the Western MacDonnell Ranges in Central Australia, and Lyndhurst and the Flinders Ranges in South Australia.

Where do you get red Ochre?

Ochre occurs naturally in rocks and soil — essentially in any environment where iron minerals have pooled and formed, Pettitt said. “It can be found in valley edges, eroding out of cliffs [or even] in caves eroding out of the bedrock,” Pettitt told Live Science.

What is red Ochre Aboriginal?

Aboriginal Ochre is a traditional form of paint. Collected and prepared by the Wiradjuri people of Central NSW, this red Ochre is 100% natural. Just crush to a fine powder and mix with water and PVA glue for a beautiful natural paint. Colours will vary. Also available in a Set of 3 Colours.

What is Australian ochre?

Ochre is one of the principal foundations of Australian Indigenous art. Ochres are primarily natural pigments and minerals found in the soil, or even in charcoal. These natural pigments (colours) were originally used to depict Dreamtime stories and maps.

How did Aboriginal people obtain ochre?

The ochre had been obtained from a deposit in another locality, as it is not naturally found at Lake Mungo. Earth pigments are found in varying forms in all regions of Australia. However, Koori people began using imported blue pigment soon after their initial encounters with Europeans.

What does ochre stand for?

OCHRE – the NSW Government Plan for Aboriginal Affairs – stands for Opportunity, Choice, Healing, Responsibility and Empowerment.

Is Red Ochre toxic?

non toxic. Ocher is not considered toxic, but care should be used in handling the dry powder pigment to avoid inhaling the dust.

What liquids are added to ochre to turn it into paint?

How is ochre prepared before painting. Crush it up to a fine powder and mix it with water and let it soak for a few minutes for the best economy. It can be mixed with emu oil or goanna oil to make body paint that glistens in the moonlight.

How did Australian Aboriginals use ochre?

These ochres are primarily natural pigments and minerals found in the soil, or even in charcoal. Paintings using these natural pigments (colours) depict Aboriginal Dreamtime stories and maps. They were used either in body painting, rock painting, on artefacts and sometimes even on sand.

What are the different types of ochre?

Ochre, a native earth coloured with hydrated iron oxide. It varies in colour from pale yellow to deep red, brown, and violet. There are two kinds: one has a clayey basis, while the other is a chalky earth. The former variety is in general the richer and purer in colour of the two.

What is red Ochre used for?

Ochre pigments were, and still are, widely used in paint and artwork. Many of the red and yellow pigments in rock art panels around the world are made with ochre-based paints. There is limited evidence for the creation of ochre paint in the Middle Stone Age, but 30,000 years ago its use as a paint was established.

Is ochre a rock?

Ochre is most commonly defined by archaeologists as any iron-rich rock that can be used as a pigment. But a range of other rocks appear in the archaeological record, from the yellow ochre goethite to the often-dramatic specular hematite, sometimes called specularite.

Why do we need red ochre in Australia?

Red Ochre Labs pays homage to Australia’s unique landscape as well as acknowledging Red Ochre’s use in technology development. Red Ochre pigment was used in some of the earliest forms of communication and continues to be used as a raw material in many manufacturing and innovation processes.

Where is the oldest ochre mine in Australia?

Wilgie Mia, known by the Wajarri Traditional Owners as Thuwarri Thaa (the place of red ochre), lies in the Weld Ranges of Australia. It is the largest and deepest underground Aboriginal ochre mine in Australia and the world’s oldest continuing mining operation.

What do we do at red ochre labs?

At the heart of Red Ochre LABS are Australian world leading air, land and sea and cyber technologies focused on autonomous systems, hypersonics, space, High Frequency Systems, prognostic health management, electronic warfare and Anti-Submarine Warfare capabilities through the Hunter Class Frigate program.

Why was ochre important to the Aboriginal people?

The most valuable pigment in ancient Aboriginal Australia though was red ochre, with pieces from deposits created by ancestral spirits essential for use in rituals amongst tribal groups across the continent (Flood 1983: 272). As such, long expeditions were commonly made to these sites, functioning as trade centres.