Summary: The Boat Cave (or Many Drawings Cave) has a large panel with male figures, a lizard and kangaroos.

Originally called the Boat Cave by locals, and later the Many Drawings Cave when documented by Val Attenbrow, this small shelter contains a number of Aboriginal drawings. (Located in the McPherson State Forest, it’s in a section that now forms part of the Mangrove Creek Dam catchment, and approval is required to access this site.)

AWAT5766 LR2 Boat Cave (McPherson State Forest)

Along the back of the shelter is a panel with male figures as well as a snake, goanna/lizard and kangaroos. The “boat cave” name comes from one of the drawings, which was thought to be (possibly) a boat, indicating it was draw after European occupation.

Some additional drawings are next to the main panel.

Research by Val Attenbrow dates deposits at Boat Cave to 2370 BP (third millennium BP), with over 20 stone artefacts being found.

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Aboriginal Sites by National Park

Red Hands Cave, Glenbrook (Blue Mountains)
The Blue Mountains National Park (and surrounding areas along the Great Western Highway) is thought to have over a thousand indigenous heritage sites, although much of the park has not been comprehensively surveyed. The Aboriginal rock sites in the Blue Mountains include grinding grooves, stensils, drawing and rock carvings.
Over 40 sites have been recorded within the park; many were located along the river bank and were flooded by the building of the weir in 1938.
The Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area protects over 3,000 known Aboriginal heritage sites, and many more which are yet to be recorded. This area includes the Blue Mountains National Park, Gardens of Stone, Wollemi National Park and Yengo National Park.