Archaeology report revealed Victoria’s Mt Arapiles’ rock art in small numbers and ‘minor’ significance

Cultural heritage experts have known for decades many of the rock art and quarry sites at Victoria’s Mount Arapiles are of minor significance.

A rock climber on Mount Arapiles in 2020. Picture: Aaron Francis

Indigenous and cultural heritage experts have known for decades there were few identified rock art sites at the home of Australian mountain climbing, and that potentially ancient stone quarries were rarely noticed by visitors, and were difficult to disturb or destroy.

Cultural heritage experts revealed in a historical study that rock art at Mount Arapiles was rated “minor’’ compared with other sites in Victoria, and some of what existed had been damaged or was so faint it was hard to see.

The archaeological assessment, reported in 1992, also makes clear that graffiti occurred at the site as far back as 1906 – nearly 60 years before rock climbing began at Arapiles.

Arapiles is at the centre of sweeping rock climbing bans triggered by cultural heritage issues but none of the exact detail of why the bans have been imposed has been released.

The 1992 report, Mount Arapiles-Tooan State Park Archaeological Survey December 1992, explains in detail the archaeology issue at the time, with little changing, save for weathering and any human activity.

The report includes only three rock art sites among 38 locations where cultural heritage reportedly existed, including shelters, scarred trees, isolated artefacts, artefact scatter, quarry sites, a rock hole and wells, as well as the burial site of an Aboriginal woman whose remains were disturbed in 1980 due to sand mining adjacent to Arapiles.

The reported rock art at the three sites includes eight motifs, including emu tracks, at site one, at site two converging rows of aligned emu tracks, with the third site having 29 motifs consisting largely of sets of parallel diagonal lines.

The report makes clear the heritage sites have significant meaning to local First Nations groups but points out that the Arapiles red ochre art is less significant than at the nearby Grampians National Park, where it is ubiquitous.

“The art sites of Mount Arapiles are considered minor compared to other sites in Victoria,’’ the report to the Goolum Gollum Aboriginal Cooperative said.

“This is largely due to the low number of motifs, generally poor preservation of the designs, and the good representation of similar artwork in other site catalogues.

“It should be noted, however, that rock art sites are comparatively rare in Victoria and that all sites are unique.

“It is unlikely that a major art site remains undiscovered in the Mount Arapiles Management Unit.’’

The report project, overseen by archaeologist Vanessa Edmonds with the help of others, also states that stone quarrying, a very common practice at Arapiles among Indigenous people, is less exposed to vandalism because people rarely twigged that it was of cultural heritage.

It discusses concerns 32 years ago about the impact of rock climbing in the area but also acknowledges the work done by climbers to help prepare the report.

The study reported two emu track motifs with an “M” scratched over them, cited as an example of why bans were needed to protect art.

There is no suggestion climbers were involved in the vandalism, nor a clear idea of when the vandalism occurred.

For decades climbers have been told to steer clear of art areas.

The report acknowledged that quarried rock surfaces are difficult to disturb, destroy or deface, adding that climbing aids such as bolts should not be used.

The study for the Goolum Goolum Aboriginal Cooperative is the most significant evidence of what has existed at Mount Arapiles, underscoring the relatively small number of art sites and the fact that quarrying was seen then as less of a risk of vandalism.

Evidence of quarrying is likely to be key to some of the bans imposed by the Victorian government.

The 1992 study led to changes in the way the site was managed and alerted rock climbers to where they should avoid their pursuit.

The Victorian government has kept secret the reasons it has imposed climbing bans at Arapiles in 2024, and the presence of the 1992 study will add pressure to demands that the evidence for the current bans be made public.

It is unknown what exact examples of cultural heritage have been cited to justify the bans but rock art, scarred trees and quarries are some of the things mentioned at affected sites. The 1992 report provides deep analysis of what exists at Arapiles.

The main archaeological difference between now and 1992 is today’s ability to use digital enhancement of rock art and panels to make the work visible to the naked eye.

This means rock art that is all but invisible can be located; if this is used at Arapiles, it could lead to more sites being registered, even though they may be hard to see.

In January 2020, Parks Victoria and the Barengi Gadjin Land Council said in a statement that rock art sites were rediscovered at Declaration Crag, an outcrop near the main campground.

The statement claimed: “There is no review into rock climbing at Mount Arapiles-Tooan Park.’’

That has now morphed into the gutting of some of the world’s best climbing, with no evidence of what heritage is being protected.

The existence of just three rock art sites raises questions about what has been banned and why.

The Australian has decided not to detail where the heritage is in the park.

Of the three sites cited at the time, the report said that two were only moderately significant.

The 1992 report addresses the issue of rock climbing, stating the majority of visitors at the time were climbers and that they had the highest impact on archaeological sites.

There has been for decades angst between archaeologists and climbers, and the report called for a public information campaign aimed at the group.

“Many rock climbers visiting Mount Arapiles come from overseas, particularly France, Germany and Japan,’’ it said.

“Ideally, the proposed public information leaflet should be produced in French, German and Japanese for greater effectiveness.’’