CENTRAL COAST – 11 May 2024
We had been planning a big social event for the weekend, an outdoor Roman Bath’s night-time picnic on Saturday night, plus a 1/2 day bushwalk on the Saturday. Then we checked the weather on WeatherZone and the forecast was for rain all weekend. So, we came up with a Plan B – bushwalking looking for aboriginal art sites – the engravings are much more well defined after rain – bonus.
John G has become obsessed with finding aboriginal art sites, so he was keen, plus Liz McC was up for a day out with us. Everyone else decided that they had better plans than walking in the rain.
Our first stop was an art site that I’ve visited many, many years ago, and I had tried to take John G there last year on a walk, but, sadly, we didn’t find it. So, this was unfinished business. We approached the site from a different direction, and walked straight to it, took us about 1/2 an hour to get to the track that leads to the site (it’s very well known).
We came to a rock platform with sharpening groves on it, so we knew we were int he right place – well, the track was a dead giveaway too LOL.
More sharpening groves.
And I have to say that this water hole looked too perfect to be natural, it definitely looked as though it had been carved out of the rock by something other than nature.
We made our way down the rock platform to the overhang and found the carving that gives this cave it’s name “upside down man cave”. Unusual to have an engraving in an overhang, usually it’s charcoal or ochre drawings.
Some ochre drawings.
A nice hand stencil.
Another unusual carving.
More drawings, with white drawings over the top.
More drawings over the top of the ochre ones.
I didn’t recall the overhang being as big as this. Liz checking out for leeches – I really traumatized her on that walk 6 months ago to the Wattagans.
Our next stop was also a site that I’d visited about 20 years ago, the Dancing Bunnies site. I had only recalled one “site” here, but apparently there were three. The first one had just one engraving and didn’t photograph well.
Then we got to the dancing bunnies. You can see a good write up on the dancing bunnies (which are probably “rabbit bandicoots”, what he fails to talk about is the fact that these “bunnies” are in an unusual place, on the edge of the rock platform, in an area where the rock slopes down-hill, not what you’d usually find, unless they started the engravings much further up the rock, then ran out of space. You can barely see the rabbits these days.
Figure of a man near the bunnis.
A mere 10 – 15m further on were these other engravings, that look like they’ve been re-grooved, wonder who did that? And why didn’t they do the bunnies?
Same area, a man, with no discernable head, although someone has said “The most intriguing figure in this group is the “man with the curious head” – his head is “a low bulge incorporating left shoulder and upper arm”, and overlapping his body is a large fish, with an unusual tail.” I don’t see it being incorporated into the left shoulder myself.
Close up of the “eel”.
Previously when I’d mentioned where this site was, John had explored it but only found the 1st site (with not much on it), he was thrilled to find the other two, more extensive sites. It’s incredible the amount of rock platforms on this ridge.
Liz hadn’t been to one of the “publicised” Aboriginal art sites on the Central Coast, so we took her there – the site is very impressive – and we were very amused by one of the signs on the walk to the art site. Obviously not a NPWS official sign.
The interpretation signs are very good at this site. The sign indicates that this is a large engraving of a man wearing an elaborate head-dress with a circular object in his right hand (which may be a shield) and a small boomerang in his left hand.
These small circular marks were here and at the “dancing bunny” site too, although there is nothing to tell you what they are. Very intriguing.
It’s possible that this oval figure is a canoe, and then there’s a couple of kangaroos around the canoe, but no indication of what this means.
Another kangaroo.
A good pictograph of a kangaroo and a man with a spear.
Some sort of fish, maybe a dolphin.
This is apparently an eel.
Not quite sure what this is.
We then went to the parking area for what is called the hieroglyphs site. We didn’t find it, but when we do, I’ll do a blog post on it then. I’ve been there quite a few times, but many, many years ago. We eventually gave up on the hieroglyphs site and headed over to Lyre Trig.
On the way we found this incredible example of sap oozing out of a tree. Never seen something this good before.
And we found this incredibly BIG angophora, on some maps known as The Grandmother Tree (Open Street Maps).
Found one art site, which had a faint image, but it was in the most unusual spot, not a very big rock platform, and in the middle of no-where.
In doing a bit of research on this art site, we’re definitely going to have to go back there, lots of unfinished business.
We came across this amazing rock overhang with the most incredible swirls and colour in the sandstone. It was only small, about 1.5m across and only 1m off the ground, but beautiful colours.
On the way back to the car, I decided that I was going the right way and John wasn’t (what was I thinking!!! – he is the navigation guru). Anyway, I took us way into the suburbs which meant we had a good 1k of walking down a very busy road. Next time I’ll believe John!
So, we headed back to my house, met up with Rod S and Kathy G and then spent the rest of the day/night eating, and playing board games … MSS members definitely love their board games. Despite the weather, it turned out to be a great weekend, if you decided that you had a better offer, you really missed out!
banner: the bark on that huge angophora, shades of green, yellow and gray, very pretty.