Shark Rock Ridge Engraving sites

Most of the Shark Rock Ridge track follows a ridge that runs between the Yatala Trig and Want Trig, which is now dissected by the Pacific Motorway. It’s an area with many Aboriginal rock art sites, primarily along the top of the ridge.

Adult and Young Emu

Just above the freeway is an Aboriginal engraving site on a small rock platform, which has an Adult Emu and Young Emu. They are both fairly weathered.

Fishing or Hunting Scene

McCarthy suggested the men at this rock engraving site were “hunting the kangaroo rats or are engaged in fishing”.

There are 22 figures including kangaroos and kangaroo rats, emus, a stingray, fish and a man with a sword club or boomerang.

Whale

This enormous whale is over ten metres in length, with a goanna and whale inside the outline of the figure. Parts of the whale have been “corrected”, with at least one fin showing two sets of carved lines.

Koalas and Shields

This interesting Aboriginal engraving site along Shark Rock was thought to represent “a hunting incident in the mythology or a totemic ritual”.

The most prominent carvings are two koala bears (one with a human-like foot), which look very much like Daramulan figures.

There are 14 figures in total, including four shields, part of a man, a legless bird (or emu?) and an oval (or basket?).

Deity

On a thin strip of rock surrounded by dense scrub is a deity figure, described by Campbell as “that of the protective deity, holding up a fish with the right hand” and by McCarthy as “A mythological incident and a site of sacred importance”. Much of the figure is covered by debris & vegetation.

Man and Shields

A small site below the ridge, which has two shields and a small man who is “a unique figure with his bent legs” (this motif couldn’t be located).

Ledge Engravings

A ritual or mythological Aboriginal engraving site, with six figures including a man with “the largest and most distinct mouth in a human figure yet found in the Sydney-Hawkesbury engravings”.

The six figures are found along a long ledge, over a distance of 30 metres, with a pothole and axe grinding grooves at the southern end.

Shark Rock Ridge Aboriginal rock art sites

Site Name	Reference	No. Motifs	Motifs
Adult and Young Emu	McCarthy Mankind Group 99	2	Emus
Hunting or Fishing Scene	McCarthy Mankind Group 98	22	Kangaroos, stingray, man
Whale	McCarthy Group 164 Campbell Plate 25 Fig 4	3	Whale, goanna, man
Koalas and Shields	McCarthy Group 162 Campbell Plate 25 Fig 5	14	Koalas, shields, bird
Deity	McCarthy Group 163 Campbell Plate 25 Fig 6	2	Deity holding a fish
Man and Shields	McCarthy Mankind Group 100	3	Man, shields
Ledge Engravings	McCarthy Mankind Group 101	6	Man, goanna, fish, jellyfish