Home Harbour PartnersAustralian MuseumLandscape of Blue Mountains Rock-Art
The Landscape of Blue Mountains Rock-Art: Wollemi National Park Phase 1
The unknown: 'Quad Pad'
Quad Pad was discovered in February 2003 when members of the NSW NPWS were fighting bushfires in the area. Wayne Brennan, part of the firefighting team as well as a core member of our rock-art group, immediately recognised the shelter as being a significant but previously unknown site. It is a lengthy site with a cathedral-like ceiling, high above a major creek.
At Quad Pad we found rare black hand stencils, an unusual painted net-like or basket-like design and a number of faint white outline drawings, including emu-like birds.
As well, there are a number of boulders in the shelter that have wide and deep grinding grooves that resulted from sharpening stone axes. There are also thin line grooves that may have resulted from spear sharpening. A few presumed axe-grinding grooves are neatly bisected by the thin line grooves, a relatively uncommon phenomenon.
An unusual painted design at Quad Pad may represent a basket, net or something else.
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Deep Quad Pad grinding grooves located on boulders below the rock-art.
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Copyright © Australian Museum, 2002
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