Some old Rock Carvings near Halls Creek (Petroglyphs)

G'day Alan

Thanks for the image up load, as with all petroglyph sites the Geology is relatively easy to date, but as far as the actual handy work goes its all guess work.

As with all of the known (recorded) petroglyph sites through out the Newman region the actual petroglyph age is only guessed at, but the human occupancy time line has been scientifically researched and dated to as far back as 27000 years, this particular occupation site is a humble rock shelter in the southern cliff line of Ethel Gorge, east of Newman.
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So, one can again only guess at the actual age of the closest petroglyphs to the occupation site as being around the same age of 27000 years.
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No matter what the time line and gestimated age of anything such as a petroglyph, it can be a very humbling moment in ones life on first sighting them.

Safe Travels:

Hi Joe,

They look like great examples - I concur with your thoughts about being humbled, especially since they could possibly have been ancient when Stonehenge was being built.

From yours and others replies it seems that it is very hard to approximate the age of the Petroglyphs - one can only imagine I guess.

Cheers
Alan

was talking to a couple who work on" True North' cruising the Kimberlys, apparently the rock art in some places is foreign to the local tribes and is similar to what is found in Egypt, ie masks and UFO type faces and hands, food for thought.....!!

Bazz, they would talking about Bradshaw Paintings. Sorry, not alien or Egyptian but very ancient. Probably the oldest in the world . Check the Bradshaw Foundation website. They can be found in parts of the Kimberley with lots of examples on the Mitchell Plateau.

http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/bradshaws/index.php

The one I described above was different in design to many of the others. It looked more polynesian or "maori-ish". I was being shown around by a researcher and found this one in an "out of the way" hill. They surface and get covered up again in that area (so I was told). Fascinating. Apparently the mob who looked after them were wiped out in one massacre.

RE: The Polynesian style petroglyphs

Some years ago I was shown a petroglyph on a remote hillside near Halls Creek.
The carving was very Maori in design. Big eyes, fat lips and tongue with "Tiki" style designs surrounding.
This actually had the traditional petroglyphs carved over some of it??

Jezza

Hi Bill,

You have a valid point, makes sense. Any ancient carvings would have had to endure many generations of other inhabitants potential alterations.

Cheers
Alan

Hi Dave,

I wouldn't want to be in charge of the dating process. It must be very difficult ie how to determine the original size of the carvings, and then to determine how much deterioration has occured since then.

Thanks for your comments.

Cheers
Alan

ok just kidding but who did eh ???

Alan, have you ever had the chance to go back after dark and take pics with a flash, i dont know why but it brings our hidden colours and features you simply dont see in daylight, if you can next time try it, i took some on a remote NT island and when home could not believe what i could see with flash and cant see in daylight...
Cheers
Joe

I didn't!!! though I may have turned my head slightly. :)))

I'll give your idea about using the flash a go next time I'm there, or next time I come across something similar.