Sydney Rock Engravings
Australia · Oceania
Thousands of Aboriginal figures pecked into flat sandstone across the Sydney basin, from whales to ancestral beings.
Age
~5,000 yrs
Period
Pre-colonial Aboriginal
Setting
Open-air
Art form
Petroglyphs
Discovered
1788
Status
Open Access
Across the Hawkesbury sandstone of the Sydney region, the Eora, Darug and Guringai peoples engraved thousands of figures into flat rock platforms. Whales, fish, kangaroos and ancestral heroes such as Daramulan appear at hundreds of sites, many now protected within national parks.
Notable Features
- ◦ Thousands of sandstone engravings
- ◦ Whales, fish and ancestral beings
- ◦ Sacred Eora and Darug sites
Depicted Subjects
AnthropomorphsFishKangaroosWhales
Plan a Visit
AccessThis cave can be visited.
Sources & Further Reading
Hours & prices change — always confirm on the official site before travelling.
Photographs via Wikimedia Commons — image credits. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.