Grampians – Gulgurn Manja and Ngamadjidj Shelters

After the Mackenzie Falls, we made our way further west and north and stayed for the night on the Stapylton campground. We arrived in the late afternoon so there was a enough time to visit the Ngamadjidj shelter which is just a 5 minute walk away from the campground. At Ngamadjidj, there are several white figures painted beneath an overhanging rock. Ngamadjidj means white person, however, the meaning of the paintings has been lost due to the effects of the European settlement.

After the walk, we pitched our tent and prepared a quick dinner. Right in time to be back in the car when a massive summer thunderstorm came down. The next day we started early towards the Gulgurn Manja (hands of young people) shelter of the Jardwadjali. The shelter is quite big and well protected from the wind and houses several different red ochre paintings. Most dominant are the red hand prints along the wall.

There are also painted animal tracks along the rock walls. While we were visiting the shelter, we ran into a small group of visitors who showed as a very faded hand print a little further on the rocks outside the fenced in area.

Picture gallery