Aboriginal Engravings in the Bondi Area

Aboriginal Engravings

There are some interesting and ancient aboriginal engravings to be found in the Bondi area. The engravings are typical of the Sydney style: simple figurative, often found on flat rocks on cliff tops overlooking water. They were made by outlining the figure then using a tool (pointed stone or shell) to punch holes in the soft sandstone.

Conventional archaeological thinking dates them at up to 5,000 years old.

The older engravings tend to be less clear, but dating them is muddied by traditional ceremonial re-grooving that happened over time.

Modern day western re-grooving, as happened across the Bondi area, was condemned by the Aboriginal Land Council as an “ill judged conservation attempt” and an “act of desecration”.

What remains of the engravings at the Bondi Golf course site depict whales, a human (or possibly a mythological being), a shark and other fish, some superimposed over others … possibly due to space restriction. It might also be the first ever representation of a shark attack!

The small engraving of a turtle is what remains of what was once a major engraving site at Ben Buckler. It was re-grooved by the Council (like others in the area), and, to make matters worse, someone has scratched their initials on the head.