Bob, Doug and myself headed up to the Central Coast to look at some Aboriginal art sites. We ended up visiting four places – the first near Kulnura, then the Howe Aboriginal Place. Next to Sommersby Falls and then to the Bulgandry Aboriginal Engraving Site near Kariong.
Kulnura Overhang
This was an art cave that featured many hand stencils and motifs. The hand stencils all seemed to be in white ochre, and the motifs were in white ochre and also in charcoal.
On the walk to the cave, I spotted this nice mushroom – Entoloma virescens group –
The cave was fantastic. Most of the art was in very good condition.
As well as hand stencils, there were stencils of boomerangs.
And on the left here are some tally type marks –
In front of the overhang were some sharpening grooves and also perhaps a bowl.
More sharpening grooves –
Now using iDStretch software –
And the same original, but with a different setting –
Bonnet Orchid – Cryptostylis erecta
Howe Aboriginal Site
This is a major Aboriginal site at Somersby and is of great spiritual significance. The name of the site is from a farmer, J Featherstonehaugh (an old English name pronounced Fanshaw) Howe, who owned the land and realised the significance of the site and gifted it to the state in 1941.
Man figure –
Here is the head of one of three large eels –
There is a faint human figure inside the eel here –
Sharpening grooves
Here is a large engraving thought to be a spirit emu –
And the emu has an impressive head-dress –
Somersby Falls
Somersby Falls is worth visiting for the series of waterfalls, and also some Aboriginal sharpening grooves.
Clavaria fragilis
The sharpening grooves are above the top waterfall.
Bulgandry Aboriginal Site
This engraving site is near Kariong. It is signposted with a parking area. It features a lot of engraving, many have been re-grooves and are easy to discern.
Spirit figure –
This large fish or whale was was a bit further away –
We looked for more art nearby, and found some sharpening grooves –
A very worthwhile and interesting trip.