Located near the Poppy Trig station (which no longer exists), this Aboriginal engraving site features a six-metre high Daramulan figure, who is holding an axe. Nine toes are visible on Daramulan’s one leg, which may represent the toes of both feet (Daramulan or Daramulum figures are always depicted with one leg). McCarthy’s interpretation included the possibility that he represents “a culture hero about whom a myth has spread from the interior”.
His head has a six-rayed headdress.
This Daramulan figure is unusual in that it’s hold an axe (or tomahawk): “The hafted axe in his right hand might be one for his own use imbued with magical power, or connected in some way with the introduction of this implement into the Sydney-Hawkesbury district” (McCarthy). Bob Pankhurst notes that “Some legends from the west of the state mention Daramulan as being armed with a tomahawk”.
The Daramulan figure has a band across his penis, which suggests circumcision – something that generally wasn’t performed in eastern NSW (according to McCarthy) – or it could be a painted band.
To the west of the Daramulan figure is a man with two heads, “one tilted to the right, the other to his left”.
It’s uncertain what this unique double-headed figures means – there are no other known figures with two heads in the Sydney-Hawkesbury region. One (unsubstantiated) interpretation is that it represents mental illness. Alternatively, Bob Pankhurst compares the figure to a local story from the Northern Territory, which may have been brought all the way to Berowra…
a painting by the Northern Territory Aboriginal artist Yirwalla shows a two headed woman who was known as Boomah Boomah. She was supposed to have appeared out of a large fire which was set to consume the body of one of their creation heroes Loomah Loomah who like Baiame had a dual personality and his bad personality had surfaced and the people were trying to get rid of him and his evil.
On a separate platform on the eastern side of the creek is another man, with upraised arms, and a different number of fingers on each of his hands.
Next to the man is a very faint figure described as a pubic girdle, which has 23 strands (“probably representing a marsupial skin cut into strips or a twine fringe”) hanging off a narrow oval belt.
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