Great Emu In The Sky
The Elvina Bay Track aboriginal rock engraving site is very extensive and has many interesting and beautiful carvings. This area is located in the Kuringai National Park along with many other aboriginal sites. The Elvina Bay Track engraving site is probably best known for a design known as the Great Emu In The Sky, an image that mirrors a pattern of dark nebulous expanses that cross the Milky Way. The head of the Great Emu In The Sky is known to astronomers as The Coalsack nebula. Each year this engraving aligns with the Great Emu In The Sky indicating that it is time to collect the emu eggs.
Just next to the Great Emu In The Sky is this very large and unusual seated Daramulum figure that seems to be holding some kind of object. (Alias: Daramulan, Dharramulluan, Dharramaalan, Dhurramoolun) This design is similar to an engraving on the Benowie Track that shows Daramulum with a child or baby sitting on his lap whereas this figure could easily accommodate a full grown person in that position. The outline drawing shows the design more clearly.
Daramulum
Daramulum Outline
This is a composite of 625 separate images showing the Great Emu In The Sky and Daramulum together.
Emu With Daramulum
A second emu appears to be standing in a square as this false colour image shows.
Emu In A Square
This very large engraving represents a whale. This image is a composite of 642 separate photographs.
Whale
At the entrance to the site are these very nicely engraved wallabies.
Wallabies
Large Wallaby
Various shields, fish, animals and figures can be found scattered around this site.
Shield
Two Fish
Shield
Fish And Shield
Fish
Bird
Decorated Shield
Two Shields
Two Decorated Shields
This is a very eroded decorated eel.
Eel
This image shows a very eroded engraving of a large rotund male figure.
Figure
This small shape is thought to be a platypus. This is a false colour image.
Platypus
These two images show the advantage of using a remote flash when photographing rock engravings. The shot on the left is a standard exposure and the same shot on the right was taken using a remote flash.
Boomerang
This is another pair of images taken using the remote flash. The top image is a standard exposure and the same image below was taken using the remote flash.
Fish
This image shows a small and very eroded Daramulum figure.
Daramulum
This is another composite made using the remote flash unit.
Figure Composite
This is a very nice goanna carving.
Goanna
This engraving shows a brush tail possum hiding under a bush.
Possum
Hi. Last Saturday I visited the Elvina engravings because I have to do a research about the place. Now I’m looking for books or papers where I could get info about the place such as what was the place used for (ceremony); academic or historical records about the place; related places or objects; interpretation; how the aboriginal people interacted with the site; and many different aspects about the place.
I would like to know If you know about books or readings where I could find info!
Thanks!
Sorry but we cannot help much with the type of information that you are looking for. You could try searching for information about West Head, the Guringai people & etc.
I’d like to know how old these are
These engravings could be many hundreds or thousands of years old. The carvings are very difficult to date because they could be re-grooved periodically (during ceremonies, etc.). Engravings that might look quite new may be very old and very worn engravings might be quite young but haven’t been refreshed.