Looking for Aboriginal Art on West Head – 7 June 2024

It was a wet day, so Bob and myself decided to do a walk on West Head in Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park to continue our quest looking for Aboriginal engravings. Many of these engravings are very faint – and easier to see when the rock platforms are wet.

On the day we visited five art sites.

Site 1

A large open rocky area with tessellated sections. Many engravings.

Here are some kangaroo engravings –

And two emus –

Here is a diety – Duramulan –

Duramulan is wearing a headdress, visible in the top right of the photo.

Tessellated sections –

This engraving in thought to be a platypus –

Shields –

The two parallel lines are perhaps a “sandstone dyke” – but the transverse lines have been added, perhaps to make a rainbow serpent.

Fish –

Another shield –

A human figure-

Another human figure –

And another –

Pecked engraving –

A fish engraving –

Site 2

There was a large whale engraving. The head and been either redrawn or there were overlapping whales –

The other end of the whale showing the tail –

We looked for a long time trying to find an engraving of a human figure. It was very faint, but obvious when we eventually spotted it –

It was harder to discern this engraving of a copulating couple –

Site 3

We headed along a track leading to a high point. On the way we stopped for lunch on a rock platform. It was the right location for an engraving of a bird. We looked and looked but had no luck. Then we had lunch. As soon as we finished, I spotted the bird engraving about 2 metres away from where we had been sitting –

Anda view from our high point –

Site 4

Getting out of Bob’s car – we spotted a distant Sea Eagle –

We had been to this site on a previous trip and had failed to locate an echidna engraving. I had since found it on another visit with Valerie. I showed Bob where it was.

Mundoes (footprint engravings) –

It was much easier to see the mundoes and other engravings on the wet rock, but you had to look at the right angle.

Fish engravings –

More of the many mundoes at this site –

Fish engraving –

This engraving is thought to be a Wobbegong –

Site 5

This is a major site, but we failed to find the main outcrops. It was raining and quite steep and scrubby. All we managed to find was this Kangaroo engraving –

This had been a very interesting trip. We need to return.