Once a signposted and easily accessed Aboriginal rock art site just off the main road into Carnarvon Gorge, Baloon Cave (also referred to as the Tomahawk Cave by Michael Clifford Quinnell) was badly damaged by bushfires in 2018 and the access track was closed – and is unlikely to ever re-open.
The fire damage to Baloon Cave and its rock art devastated the local Aboriginal community associated with it. Some people were physically ill for up to a week afterward. Emotions ran high for many months after the fire and many people felt spiritually demoralised for some time.
Paul Taçon, The Bradshaw Foundation
It was known for its sets of stencilled hands (over 80 in total) and a series of hafted stone axe stencils, as well as 13 painted motifs.
| Motif | Red | Yellow | White | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hand – left | 37 | 2 | 1 | 40 |
| Hand – right | 28 | 1 | 2 | 31 |
| Hand – indistinct | 8 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| Axe | 4 | 4 | ||
| Indistinct | 11 | 2 | 13 | |
| 88 | 6 | 4 | 98 |
The photo below from The Bradshaw Foundation shows the Baloon Cave main panel before the fire.
Some of the hand stencils survived relatively intact, but the panel has broken in half, which was feared would happen in a report prepared by Paul Taçon the year afer the fire damage occurred.
Damage to the main panel consists of exfoliation to the left, right and above right; cracking at the upper right; and a coating of soot over most of the stencilled hands and all of the hafted axe stencils… It may be possible to remove the soot and to consolidate the panel but this needs further investigation and assessment. Some soot has washed away in recent heavy rain. There is a risk that the rock above the major new crack could sheer off and fall to the ground
Paul Taçon, The Bradshaw Foundation
Three of the hand stencils are in fairly good condition – but the rock is lying on the ground.
Other panels were impacted by soot and cracking, but the hand stencils are still visible.
Such extensive damage from a fire is very rare; bushfires have always been part of the Australian landscape and rock art is rarely damaged from these events. The culprit was the use of recycled plastic for the walkway, which “is sort of like solidified petroleum” – it exploded into a ball of flame causing smoke damage and cracking of the rock.
More information
- Near the Baloon Cave is the Clematis Ridge Aboriginal site, which also has a number of stencils.
- Exploring Carnarvon National Park covers all the indigenous rock art sites (and bushwalks) of the park.
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