Royal National Park – Heritage Walk – 21 September 2023

Bob and myself completed a walk in Royal National Park where we visited a number of heritage sites. Two of them were Aboriginal art caves that we had some information about, but we also found an Aboriginal sharpening groove site, and also the site of an old hut or lean-to.

As well, at this time of year, on any walk in Royal National Park you get to experience an amazing display of wild flowers.

We set off down a track. Not far along, we came across a few orchids –

Caladenia catenata

Not far along, the track crosses small creek. Here we found some Aboriginal sharpening grooves –

Baura rubioides was going near the creek –

And we found a few more grooves –

We then visited the first art cave. This was small overhang and it had a number of ochre and charcoal drawings. It was hard to make out what they were. There was also some graffiti.

Outside the cave there was a pair of Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos. Here is one of them –

Then we  reached a larger creek, that we followed downstream for a few kilometres.

Water Dragon

Eastern Spinebill

It was pleasant easy walking.

We eventually reached this large pool. It was quite hot day and we enjoyed brief swim (the water was cold).

Next we headed uphill through some rough country, towards were we thought we would find the secondary cave. Along the way, we found this interesting site. It was a rough clearing with a plank on one side and a constructed fireplace on the other side.

I wondered if this was the site of one of the huts built by Todd Sloane of the Rucksack Club many years ago. Perhaps in the 1940’s. I know of one of his huts, a ruin near Kingdom Come in Heathcote National Park. That hut is close to a magnificent swimming pool, and so is this structure. But the plank (seat) did look more recent.

A bit more walking, and we reached the second Aboriginal Art Cave. This was was a lot more significant than the first one. It is a much larger cave and has a wealth of faint art – with layers of art over older art.

Here is one shell we found in the cave floor –

And now for the art. It is all quite faint, but it does benefit from the iDStretch software to reveal hand stencils and other art – in ochre and charcoal.

This large charcoal artwork is on the roof of the cave –

On one side of the cave is set of sharpening grooves. These are on a quite inclined rock –

Both the caves we visited had been first  recorded by members of the Illawarra Prehistory Group on their extensive surveys in Royal National Park and other locations.

Near this cave, we found some rock orchids – Dendrobium linguiforme –

And on the ridge above we found some Bearded orchids. Calochilus paludosus –

And some Waratahs in bloom –

Another Bearded Orchid – Calochilus robertsonii –

This had been a very interesting and worthwhile walk.