Stockyard Creek Sunburst Shelter

Summary: A deep sandstone shelter near Stockyard Creek which has Aboriginal rock art dating back to around AD1470, with over 60 motifs including a "starburst" drawing and many hand stencils.

  • Site type: Cave Painting, Stencil - Hand, Stencil - Other
  • Number of motifs: 75
  • Motif/s: Boomerang, Hand, Spear, Sunburst
  • Quality: 4.5/5
  • Condition of site: Good
  • Year first recorded: 1969
  • Originally Recorded by: Val Attenbrow

This deep sandstone shelter with Aboriginal rock art above Stockyard Creek has plenty of signs of past European visitation – but no graffiti ot even initial defacing the sandstone. An archaeological survey in the late 1960s of the stratified deposits dated occupation of the shelter to around AD 1470, making the Aboriginal art up to 500-600 years old.

1X3A9199 LR Stockyard Creek Sunburst Shelter
1X3A9154 LR Stockyard Creek Sunburst Shelter
1X3A9196 LR Stockyard Creek Sunburst Shelter

The shelter has over 60 motifs, mostly hand stencils concentrated on a long panel along the back wall of the shelter.

1X3A9169 Pano LR Stockyard Creek Sunburst Shelter

Near the middle of this panel is a large “sunburst” or “starburst”, and what appears to be a stencil of a stick or spear.

1X3A9171 LR Stockyard Creek Sunburst Shelter

The panel has at least one positive hand stemcil, and a stencil of a boomerang.

1X3A9159 LR Stockyard Creek Sunburst Shelter
1X3A9161 LR Stockyard Creek Sunburst Shelter
1X3A9173 LR Stockyard Creek Sunburst Shelter
1X3A9175 LR Stockyard Creek Sunburst Shelter

On the right of the main panel is a small set of hand stencils, and a boomerang stencil.

1X3A9157 LR Stockyard Creek Sunburst Shelter

There are more hand stencils on the ceiling of the shelter.

1X3A9193 LR Stockyard Creek Sunburst Shelter

Several hand stencils are on the outside wall of the shelter

1X3A9149 LR Stockyard Creek Sunburst Shelter
1X3A9150 LR Stockyard Creek Sunburst Shelter
1X3A9151 LR Stockyard Creek Sunburst Shelter
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