Significance of Aboriginal occupation and art sites within the GeoRegion
The sandstone and shale landscapes of the Sydney Basin including the coast, estuaries, and plateaus, contain some of the richest examples of indigenous occupation and examples of Aboriginal connection to Country anywhere in Australia.
More than 1400 Aboriginal sites and tens of thousands of motifs exist within the GeoRegion’s 40 square kilometres.
The linkages between Aboriginal site types with the geodiverse physical features of the Sydney Basin have been investigated by several authors including Attenbrow (2003), McDonald (2008), Doelman et al. (2015), Conroy et al (2022). McCarthy (1954) considered that several groups of Aboriginal sites within the GeoRegion are not only connected to each other as possible ceremonial markers but also to significant natural features.
Evidence of Aboriginal occupation and use of the GeoRegion has been dated to more than 3,500 years ago. A diverse number of both art and occupation sites are found including rock engravings, grinding grooves, shelters with art, middens and occupational deposits, burials, repatriation sites, stone arrangements, and possible scarred trees and fish traps. Some of these sites have been gazetted as significant and protected Aboriginal Areas and Aboriginal Places.
The Aboriginal art sites within the GeoRegion are an important part of the complex of sites described as ‘Sydney Cultural Crescent Rock Art’ (AHC, 2023). The Australian Heritage Council considers that these art sites may have outstanding heritage value to the nation due to the significant density of both art and occupation sites.
Rock art is described by indigenous elders as their history books, with the largest sites being libraries which provide a tangible record of the Aboriginal peoples’ traditions, presence, cultural practices and knowledge systems. The Aboriginal art sites of the GeoRegion contain rare motifs such as large images of cultural heroes such as Baiame and Daramulan; a rare example of a kangaroo hunt; several unique examples of Ancestral Beings engraved in association with female figures. The GeoRegion also contains many examples of occupation deposits that can provide information on the use of the area since the last Glacial Period, as well as opportunities to investigate stylistic associations between different clan or nation groups. The large number of the occupation and art sites therefore have the potential to yield information on the people that used this area, their lifestyle and cultural practices.
Discover a selection of Aboriginal Engraving sites here.
Please Note: It is an offence to interfere with, scratch, mark or otherwise damage Aboriginal heritage sites.
Please only take photos, avoid walking on motifs and leave no trace.
For further Information regarding Aboriginal Sites- Ku-ring-gai GeoRegion, click here.