Bob and myself travelled up the Blue Mountains and then set off down a creek looking for Aboriginal sites. There was a track down the creek, which we followed, and we also left it quite often to check out overhangs for any art or tools.
We investigated a lot of overhangs without finding any definite art. The creaked we were following joined up with a larger creek, and in an overhang a short way down, Bob found some shaped pieces of hard rock – old stone tools.
In another cave, and it was in quite an obscure location, well away from tracks and requiring scrambling to reach, I found an overhang that had a number of old glass bottles.
Close to the main track we spotted some old chiselled graffiti. This one is “D Sullivan” –
And nearby was another, harder to discern, that spelled out “J Stratton”.
This was done by Joe Stratton, a local bushman, who once used to live near Springwood High School. It probably dates back to around the 1920’s or 30’s.
We followed the ain track upstream along the major creek, and we walked to a waterfall known as Springwood Falls. Here we found some more chiselled grafitti. This one looks like “ME” with perhaps some more letters.
In the middle of the photo below, you can see a “JW” –
Here is all the waterfall – Springwood Falls –
And more graffiti – this one is “R Foy” –
Mark Foy’s brother Francis Foy once lived in the area, in a house on Chapman Parade, Faulconbridge, that was later owned by the artist Norman Lindsay. Perhaps this graffiti was chiselled by a family member?
We followed a track up a side creek to reach a small old dam. Perhaps once used as a water supply?
We then climbed out of the gully and after lunch we walked back to Bob’s car.
On the way down the mountains we checked out the old railway tunnel at Lapstone. We visited the upper, Glenbrook portal.
A lot of work appears to have been done recently to clean up the area in preparation for the old tunnel becoming a cycleway.
