Mt Ku-ring-gai Track White Man Cave

Summary: A large Aboriginal rock art shelter near the Mount Ku-ring-gai Track; it has over 50 figures (many very weathered) which include a man in white ochre, many hand and arm stencils and a red ochre fish.

  • Site type: Cave Painting, Stencil - Hand
  • Number of motifs: 50
  • Motif/s: Arm, Boomerang, Fish, Indeterminate figure, Kangaroo, Man, Snake
  • Quality: 3.5/5
  • Condition of site: Good, Graffiti damage, Weathered
  • View site sketch
  • Year first recorded: 1983

This large Aboriginal rock art shelter near the Mount Ku-ring-gai Track contains over fifty figures, although it is marred by significant graffiti (going back many decades).

MtK WhiteManCave Mt Ku-ring-gai Track White Man Cave

The shelter is named after a man with upraised arms, a motif not commonly found in white ochre in the Sydney-Hawkesbury region.

1X3A2151 LR Mt Ku-ring-gai Track White Man Cave1X3A2151 LR yye Mt Ku-ring-gai Track White Man Cave

The shelter contains over twenty hand stencils – which are often superimosed over harder-to-see red ochre motifs (many of them are are indeterminate, but some appear to depict human figures).

1X3A2135 LR Mt Ku-ring-gai Track White Man Cave
1X3A2135 LR yre Mt Ku-ring-gai Track White Man Cave
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1X3A2134 LR yre Mt Ku-ring-gai Track White Man Cave
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1X3A2132 LR yre Mt Ku-ring-gai Track White Man Cave
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1X3A2141 LR yre Mt Ku-ring-gai Track White Man Cave
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1X3A2138 LR yye Mt Ku-ring-gai Track White Man Cave
1X3A2140 LR Mt Ku-ring-gai Track White Man Cave
1X3A2140 LR yye Mt Ku-ring-gai Track White Man Cave
1X3A2145 LR Mt Ku-ring-gai Track White Man Cave
1X3A2145 LR yye Mt Ku-ring-gai Track White Man Cave
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1X3A2154 LR Mt Ku-ring-gai Track White Man Cave
1X3A2154 LR yre Mt Ku-ring-gai Track White Man Cave

Some of the hand stencils include the forearm – these are some of the best preserved figures.

1X3A2148 LR Mt Ku-ring-gai Track White Man Cave
1X3A2149 LR Mt Ku-ring-gai Track White Man Cave
1X3A2149 LR ybk Mt Ku-ring-gai Track White Man Cave

Amongst the many hand and arm stencils is a fish in red ochre; below thw fish are small, boomerang-like figures.

1X3A2137 LR Mt Ku-ring-gai Track White Man Cave
1X3A2137 LR yre Mt Ku-ring-gai Track White Man Cave

The Aboriginak rock is located at one end of the long shelter, which been used as a camping cave.

1X3A2169 LR Mt Ku-ring-gai Track White Man Cave
1X3A2174 LR Mt Ku-ring-gai Track White Man Cave
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