Summary: An impressive collection of motifs in red, white and black at the Mungana Rock Art site (one of two publicly accessible Aboriginal art sites in the Chillagoe area). The art surrounded by high limestone cliffs.

The Mungana Rock Art Site at The Archways is one of two Aboriginal rock art sites in the Chillagoe area that is publicly accessible. Visible from some distance away, the rock art is in a shallow but protected shelter, surrounded by high karst cliffs.

AWAT8557 LR Mungana Aboriginal art site (Chillagoe)

A large panel contain a number of motifs, mostly painted in in red and white.

AWAT8538 Pano LR Mungana Aboriginal art site (Chillagoe)

The motifs include what appear to be snakes, as well as many vertical and horizontal lines.

AWAT8539 LR Mungana Aboriginal art site (Chillagoe)

A very small number of motifs are painted in charcoal, in a style that is similar to cave art found on the east coast of NSW.

AWAT8541 LR Mungana Aboriginal art site (Chillagoe)

Indirect dating methods and radiocarbon analysis applied to the rock paintings suggest that most Chillagoe rock paintings are relatively young – less than 3500 years old.

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Exploring The Archways at Mungana Caves | Hiking the World · April 2, 2022 at 7:25 pm

[…] closer, you can see the full extent of the artwork, along multiple walls of the low shelter. The Mungana Rock Art site has paintings in white and red oche, with a number of snakes or serpents, as well as many […]

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Aboriginal Sites by National Park

A review of different techniques for photographing Aboriginal rock art. This includdes oblique flash, chain and planar mosaic imaging which combines hundreds of overlapping photos.
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.
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.