Cowan Track Bandicoot

Summary: Above Cowan Creek a small and remote site with a carving of a striped bandicoot, and two spirit figures.

On a a remote spur above Cowan Creek is a small rock platform with an Aboriginal engraving of what is most likely a bandicoot. It looks like a numbat (from its stripes and stance), but numbats were only found in the north-west of NSW. It’s been suggested that “it’s more likely to be a banded bandicoot (not extinct from the area) or a bandicoot-type animal with totemic barring. It’s remarkably well preserved” (Steve Chapple).

Numbat on spur above Cowan Creek

There’s two adjacent engravings, which were partially covered. They depict a female figure and a male spirit figure: the enhanced image below shows the full detail of this amazing site (photo from Rock Art of the Sydney Basin).

Two deities at Cowan Creek site, next to numbat
Subscribe via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to Hiking the World, and receive notifications of new posts by email. (A hike is added every 1-2 weeks, on average.)

Join 1,187 other subscribers

0 Comments

Leave a Reply

Aboriginal Sites by National Park

Aboriginal Rock Art – Yengo National Park
Yengo National Park was an important spiritual and cultural place for the Darkinjung and Wonnarua People for thousands of years, and 640 Aboriginal cultural sites are recorded in the park and nearby areas.
Aboriginal Rock Art – Berowra Valley
Over a hundred Aboriginal sites have been recorded in the Hornsby region, with many of these in the Berowra Valley National Park and around the suburb of Berowra.
Aboriginal Rock Art – Maroota and Marramarra NP
Located to the north-west of Sydney, just south of the Dharug and Yengo National Parks, Maroota has a high concentration of (known) Aboriginal sites. Many more Aboriginal heritage sites are located in the Marramarra National Park. The original inhabitants of the area were the Darug people.