Summary: An Aboriginal engraving site on a spur beneath the Waratah Track, which may illustrate a fishing scene.

On a spur below the Waratah Track is an Aboriginal engraving site, which according to McCarthy “obviously illustrates a successful fishing excursion in nearby Coal and Candle Creek; the largest fish is probably a snapper”.

Fish Fish Small fish Man Marine creature Shield

Fish

AWAT0828 LR Waratah Track Fishing Scene

Set of three broad fish

Fish

AWAT0829 LR Waratah Track Fishing Scene

Large fish

Small fish

AWAT0813 LR Waratah Track Fishing Scene

Bream fish

Man

AWAT0823 LR Waratah Track Fishing Scene

Male figure

Marine creature

WaratahTrack LR stitch LR Waratah Track Fishing Scene

A shark ray or manta ray attacking a stingray

Shield

AWAT0836 LR Waratah Track Fishing Scene

Shield with median stripe

The rock platform is quite small, and surrounded by scrub. It mostly likely once had a nice view down to Coal and Candle Creek, but this is now obscured by trees.

One one side of the platform are two large fish, and two smaller fish.

A fourth, much smaller fish, described as a bream, is near the bottom of the platform.

A man is drawn with a “tall upright pointed triangular head, no eyes or neck, arms raised, right arm pointed”. (A woman, maybe the man’s wife, is no longer visible.)

The most interesting creature is an “ill-drawn figure of a marine creature, either a shark ray or manta ray, with a big conical head, no eyes, big fin on each side and three smaller tail fins – joined to its head is a stingray shaped figure, with oval body 2′ long and a single line tail, which the ray is apparently attacking”.

Also carved here is a shield, with a median stripe.

AWAT0836 LR Waratah Track Fishing Scene

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Aboriginal Sites by National Park

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.
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.
The Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area protects over 3,000 known Aboriginal heritage sites, and many more which are yet to be recorded. This area includes the Blue Mountains National Park, Gardens of Stone, Wollemi National Park and Yengo National Park.
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.