Aboriginal Rock Art - Hornsby Shire

Although the quantity and density of surviving Aboriginal rock art sites in the Hornsby Shire is significantly lower than on the Central Coast, there were 598 recorded sites with art in the 2023 Hornsby Shire Aboriginal Heritage Study (compared to 454 in a previous 1996 study). The Hornsby area was inhabited by the Darug and GuriNgai people, and the art is thought to date back to the early Bondaian period (8,000 to 4,000 years ago) up to post-European contact.

	Total Sites	Non-NPWS Land
Art	598	205
Grinding Grooves	125	56
Modified Tree	9	7
Stone Arrangement	16	2

The rock art of the Hornsby Shire was originally documented by W.D. Campbell, R.H. Mathews and R.E. Etheridge in the 1880s to early 1900s and later by John Tipper, Fred McCarthy and Ian Sim in the mid-twentieth century. More recently, archaeologist Jo McDonald conducted extensive research on and excavated a number of sites in the Sydney Basin, whch included several in the Hornsby LGA.

The list below includes all of the Aboriginal rock art sites within the Hornsby LGA; or you can view sites located in specific National Parks:

Berowra Valley National Park rock art – this park is wholly contained within the Hornsby LGA
Ku-ring-gai Chase NP rock art – this park is within the Hornsby, Ku-ring-gai and Northern Beaches LGAs
Marramarra National Park rock art – wholly within Hornsby and has a diverse range of Aboriginal sites.

Coat of Arms Cave (Canoelands)

The Coat of Arms Cave or Koh shelter in the Canoelands area contains considerable Aboriginal rock art, with over 50 figures in red ochre, white and charcoal.

Number of motifs: 55
Quality: 5/5
Condition of art: Good
Year first recorded: 1977

Coba Ridge Charcoal Figures

A shallow shelter at the base of very tall cliffs on a spur off the Coba Ridge. The Aboriginal charcoal art drawings are very weathered.

Number of motifs: 3
Quality: 1.5/5
Condition of art: Weathered
Year first recorded: 2020

Coba Ridge Daramulan engraving

An Aboriginal engraving of a Daramulan figure and a bird, on a long but narrow rock platform near the Coba Ridge walking track.

Number of motifs: 2
Quality: 3.5/5
Condition of art: Good
Year first recorded: 2019

Coba Ridge Engraving Site

A small Aboriginal engraving site with a kangaroo and Daramulan figure, on a small rock platform near the Coba Ridge in Marramarra National Park.

Number of motifs: 2
Quality: 3/5
Condition of art: Good
Year first recorded: 1977
Originally recorded by: Bob Conroy

Coba Ridge Kangaroos

Aboriginal engravings of four kangaroos on a large rock platform near the Coba Ridge Fire Trail.

Number of motifs: 4
Quality: 3.5/5
Condition of art: Good
Year first recorded: 2020

Coba Ridge Red Hand Stencils

Ten Aboriginal hand stencils (most of them very weathered) in a low overhang along Coba Ridge.

Number of motifs: 10
Quality: 3.5/5
Condition of art: Weathered
Year first recorded: 2020

Coba Ridge Remnant Charcoal Panel

A shallow shelter at the base of a cliff along Coba Ridge, which contains very weathered fragments of Aboriginal drawings.

Number of motifs: 4
Quality: 1.5/5
Condition of art: Weathered
Year first recorded: 2020

Coba Ridge Scarred Tree

A scarred tree along the Neverfail Fire Trail (Coba Ridge) in Marramarra National Park.

Condition of art: Good
Year first recorded: 2019

Collingridge Point Aboriginal engravings

An Aboriginal engraving site near Collingridge Point has three motifs and a number of axe grinding grooves - as well as a non-Aboriginal (European) dinosaur carving,

Number of motifs: 3
Condition of art: Good
Year first recorded: 1982