There are thousands of Aboriginal engraving and shelter art sites recorded around Gosford and across the Central Coast region. These rock art sites include animals, birds, sea creatures, bird tracks, human footsteps, male and female figures, hunting weapons and ancestral beings. Many sites are protected in the national parks of the Central Coast, but a surprisingly large number of recorded sites are on rural properties and industrial estates.
Many of the sites were documented by W. D. Campbell in 1899, and later by Fred McCarthy and Ian Sim. Â The Central Coast Original Recordings page lists all the publicly documented Campbell, Sim and McCarthy sites.
An article by Coast Magazine (Ancient Art Galleries of the Central Coast – download PDF or read online) covers some of the significant rock art sites of the Central Coast area.
Aboriginal rock art sites by park: Bouddi NP / Brisbane Water / McPherson SF / Popran NP / Strickland SF
Aboriginal engravings of a kangaroo, head of a kangaroo and shield on scattered rock surfaces; they are part of a series of ten sites documented by Ian Sim near the Milyerra Trail
- Number of motifs: 4
- Quality: 1/5
- Condition of art: Weathered
- Year first recorded: 1969
- Originally recorded by: F.D. McCarthy, Ian Sim
- View site sketch
A large rock platform near the Milyerra Trail, with engravings of a 40' whale and 10' kangaroo.
- Number of motifs: 2
- Quality: 2.5/5
- Condition of art: Weathered
- Year first recorded: 1899
- Originally recorded by: F.D. McCarthy, Ian Sim
- View site sketch
Traversed by the Milyerra Road Fire Trail, a large, tesselated rock platform contains a number of weathered engravings
- Number of motifs: 44
- Quality: 4/5
- Condition of art: Good
- Year first recorded: 1898
- Originally recorded by: W.D. Campbell, F.D. McCarthy, Ian Sim
- View site sketch
Three unusual motifs at an Aboriginal engraving site above the Milyerra Trail. They include a large turtle and two figures with head-dresses.
- Number of motifs: 3
- Quality: 3.5/5
- Condition of art: Good
- Year first recorded: 1969
- Originally recorded by: Bob Pankhurst
- View site sketch
An Aboriginal engraving of a large kangaroo near the Milyerra Trail.
- Number of motifs: 1
- Quality: 2.5/5
- Condition of art: Good
- Year first recorded: 1899
- Originally recorded by: W.D. Campbell
- View site sketch
The Mini Yengo site features a natural mound shaped like Mount Yengo; there are four engravings with the most distinct being a snake or serpent.
- Number of motifs: 4
- Quality: 3.5/5
- Condition of art: Good, Weathered
- Year first recorded: 1966
An extensive group of engravings, the Mooney Mooney Aboriginal Area includes many kangaroos, two rainbow serpents and many other figures.
- Number of motifs: 45
- Quality: 5/5
- Condition of art: Good
- Year first recorded: 1976
- Originally recorded by: W.D. Campbell
- View site sketch [PDF]
Axe Grinding Grooves above the Corrumbine Creek Firetrail, in Brisbane Water National Park.
- Number of motifs: 6
- Quality: 2/5
- Condition of art: Good
- Year first recorded: 1995
- Originally recorded by: Ian Sim, Warren Bluff
A Daramulan figure on a spur off Mt Kariong; it's the last of five Aboriginal engraving sites documented by Ian Sim.
- Number of motifs: 1
- Quality: 2.5/5
- Condition of art: Good
- Year first recorded: 1966
- Originally recorded by: F.D. McCarthy, Ian Sim, Bob Pankhurst
- View site sketch
An Aboriginal engraving site on a spur off Mt Kariong with a very unusual one-legged man (as well as a second man and koala).
- Number of motifs: 3
- Quality: 1.5/5
- Condition of art: Good, Weathered
- Year first recorded: 1966
- Originally recorded by: F.D. McCarthy, Ian Sim, Bob Pankhurst
- View site sketch
Shallow shelter on a ridge off Mount Kariong, which has a number of Aboriginal charcoal paintings.
- Number of motifs: 15
- Quality: 3.5/5
- Condition of art: Good
- Year first recorded: 1999
A complex Aboriginal engraving site on a spur off Mt Kariong; it includes four men in a row, fish, kangaroos and a dingo.
- Number of motifs: 17
- Quality: 3/5
- Condition of art: Good, Weathered
- Year first recorded: 1966
- Originally recorded by: F.D. McCarthy, Ian Sim, Bob Pankhurst
- View site sketch
Under a small rock overhang near Mount Olive are some well-preserved cave paintings, including a wallaby and some indeterminate figures.
- Number of motifs: 5
- Quality: 4/5
- Condition of art: Good
- Year first recorded: 1992
An Aboriginal engraving site near Mount Penang with an eel, shield and indeterminate figure.
- Number of motifs: 3
- Quality: 3.5/5
- Condition of art: Good, Weathered
- Year first recorded: 1965
- Originally recorded by: Bob Pankhurst
A small Aboriginal engraving site near Mount Penang with two eels and three smaller figures (man holding club and boomerang).
- Number of motifs: 5
- Quality: 3/5
- Condition of art: Weathered
- Year first recorded: 1969
- Originally recorded by: F.D. McCarthy, Ian Sim, Bob Pankhurst
- View site sketch