The archaeology of contact rock art in Australia is an emerging field exploring Indigenous reactions to encounters with outsiders, which has gained momentum over the past couple of decades. In this research, the impact of contact seen in rock art and archaeology was assessed, with a focus on the Northern Territory, Australia. Specifically, in Arnhem Land, the Djulirri rock shelter was chosen as the key case study because of its excellent and unique collection of contact rock art. To understand contact narratives more broadly, this thesis focuses on how hybridity (merging of cultures), conservatism (reluctance for change) and innovation (innovations coming from contact) impacted on the nature of recent rock art production at Djulirri’s Main Gallery, through the superimposition of rock art. This superimposition was detailed by digitally tracing each motif so that the stratigraphic profile of the motifs could be determined and an understanding of contact could be made. It is through this analysis that the contact narrative is made, exploring what new forms of rock art emerged, and what techniques can be applied to provide a more detailed understanding of contact rock art. I conclude this thesis by arguing that hybridity, conservatism and innovation were all factors in the contact archaeology of Djulirri. I argue that contact was a turbulent time for Indigenous Australians and that the rock art produced at Djulirri was completed to inform people about a changing world. This rock art was not carried out over prolonged periods, but as bursts of activity as a reaction to a particular event or change. Artists created hybrid ways of producing rock art, where they were innovative in their responses to this contact, but still held conservative values of how this information was delivered. Senior Traditional Owner R. Lamilami called Djulirri a library for his people. Through the process of digitally interrogating the stratigraphic profile of the site, placing the motifs in a chronological context, and understanding hybridity, conservatism and innovation, R. Lamilami’s beliefs are reinforced.