dharawal aboriginal engravings site

By pure incident a local Bundeena kid stumbled onto an over grown rock ledge whilst playing hid and seek with two class mate ,The year was 1956 only to find to his amazement a set of historically valued rock carvings which remain to this very day for a new generation of history buffs . A visit well worth the time taken to venture down to Gibbon beach then over to the head land to retrace those same foot steps of history situated right on our door steps, just a short distance from every day life.

Accessible via a bush walking trail, the aboriginal engravings are spread out across a large sandstone rock and illustrate some of the animals that were a part of the Dharawal people lives in the past. It makes me think of how different (and pristine) Sydney area was in the not too distant past.

At approx 30 kms from the Sydney CBD in The Royal National Park the village of Bundeena hides an interesting collection of Aboriginal rock engravings by the Dharawal Aboriginal people. The rock engravings have been estimated to be approx 2000 years old & depict images of a whale, stingray, kangaroo & human figure. There are a number of other faint images which are hard to make out as they have slowly been eroded over time & are outlines of animals in their basic shapes. The images suggest the local Aboriginal tribe had some sort of great affiliation, respect &/or affinity with animals. The images do not depict any corroberees, animal hunts or mass gatherings of people & seem significant for their representation of the local sea life. The human figure has been described as a ‘law-giver’ who has a sixth finger & big stomach. The images do not seem to be part any one single scene or story as their positioning is random & at different angles & sizes to one another. The site is on a cliff that overlooks the sea where whales are known to use as a corridoor to warmer waters during the seasonal migration up the east Australian coast during winter in the southern hemisphere as it becomes too cold in their Antarctic waters.The Dharawal Aboriginal rock engraving site itself is situated near the edge of a very scenic spot looking out to the Pacific Ocean to the east & the Conulla peninsula is quite visible to the north, just behind wild shrubs & trees. The engravings are sited on a rock floor & is only accessable via a great walk across Jibbon Beach which is approx 1 kms. From the beach it is a further few hundred metres in & around the low cliff at Jibbon Point. Currently all the information signs have been vandilised but if you scratch around after the 3rd sign you will literally walk over the site. The well worn narrow path is over grown with flora & is poorly marked to indicate distance as the normal standards of the National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS) is normally quite excellent for sites of natural & cultural significance. There are no handrailings for the handicapped & would be very difficult to reach by wheelchair without significant help but makes for a scenic walk from Jibbon Beach. Jibbon Beach from Sydney can be reached from the Princess Hwy turining into Farnell Ave at the Royal National Park sign, there is an $11 entry fee to the national park at a gate operated by the National Parks & Wildlife Service. Street parking is available on Neil St not far from Bundeena.