Bull Cave facts for kids

Bull Cave is a very important heritage site in Kentlyn, Australia. It's known for its amazing Aboriginal rock art. People also call it Bull's Cave or The Bull Cave. This special place was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on August 28, 2017, because of its unique history and cultural value.

A Look Back: Bull Cave's History

Who Lived Here First?

The land around Bull Cave has been home to Aboriginal people for thousands of years. The Tharawal, Dharug, and Gandangara peoples are the traditional owners of this area. Bull Cave is located where the lands of these three groups meet. This means it was a place where different Aboriginal communities might have come together.

Aboriginal people traveled across their lands, taking care of the country. They gathered food and materials, always respecting nature. People from different language groups also met to trade goods. Bull Cave was part of a network of important sites along the Georges River. The art and tools found here suggest the cave was used for daily life, learning, and spiritual practices.

Art and Stories in the Cave

Over time, Aboriginal people created many layers of stencils and drawings inside Bull Cave. The most famous artworks are two large paintings of cattle. These were made soon after the First Fleet arrived in Australia. Some experts believe the different colors of paint used (red, charcoal, and white) show how the cave and its art were used for different cultural reasons. Red might be for family connections, charcoal for teaching, and white for spiritual links.

A Sad Event: The Appin Massacre

In 1816, a very sad event happened that deeply affected the Aboriginal people of the Campbelltown and Camden areas. This was called the Appin Massacre. On April 17, 1816, soldiers attacked a group of Aboriginal people. At least 14 men, women, and children died. This event was a terrible loss for the local Aboriginal communities.

Even after this tragedy, local Aboriginal people kept their connection to the Cowpastures region. They continued to hold important ceremonies, called corroborees, in nearby areas like Camden Park.

The Wild Cattle Story

In 1787, the First Fleet brought 11 cattle from South Africa to Australia. Seven of these cattle survived the journey. In June 1788, these cattle escaped into the bush. Everyone thought they were lost forever.

But in 1795, Aboriginal people reported seeing a herd of wild cattle. Two convicts later found them near the Nepean River. Governor John Hunter went to see for himself. He found a large herd of over 40 cattle grazing in a beautiful area.

These cattle were the descendants of the escaped First Fleet animals. The area they lived in became known as the "Cowpastures." The government protected these wild cattle, and their numbers grew quickly. By 1806, there were thought to be 3,000 wild cattle! This area was not settled by Europeans until 1822, so the cattle lived mostly undisturbed.

European Settlement in Kentlyn

While other parts of Campbelltown and Camden were settled by Europeans in the early 1800s, Kentlyn stayed mostly bushland. In 1879, the Kentlyn area became the "Campbelltown Common." This meant local people could use it for firewood and grazing their animals.

Later, during the Great Depression in the 1930s, many unemployed people built homes in the Kentlyn bush. The local council offered them work building roads. In the 1970s, Kentlyn was declared a "scenic protection" zone. This helped keep some of the bushland natural, even as more people moved into the area.

What's Happened Recently?

Bull Cave was first officially recorded in 1971. In 1982, the site was badly damaged by vandals. To protect the art, the National Parks and Wildlife Service put a wire fence around the cave entrance. Sadly, there have been more acts of vandalism since then. Even so, the important bull paintings are still visible.

Aboriginal people today still value Bull Cave very highly. They see it as an important part of their culture and a teaching place. It shows the challenges Aboriginal communities face in protecting their heritage.

What Does Bull Cave Look Like?

Bull Cave is a rock shelter located in a natural bushland area in Kentlyn. It's about 15 meters from a small creek. This cave is part of a group of rock art sites found along the creek valley.

The shelter faces west and is about 8.5 meters wide and 5.1 meters deep. The walls are covered with Aboriginal pigment art. You can see dozens of stencils, including white hand stencils, arms, fists, and a boomerang. There are also stencils that might be of sheep or calves' feet, in white and red.

The most striking artworks are two large paintings of four-legged animals. Both are outlined in black charcoal. One of them also shows signs of an earlier red outline. The first painting is nearly three meters long and one meter high. Its shape, tail, and cloven (split) feet strongly suggest it's a bull. It doesn't look like any native Australian animal. The second painting is next to the first. It also has cloven front feet, suggesting it's either a cow or another bull.

Some people think the way the two animals are positioned on the wall might show them mating.

Because of past damage, the cave is now protected by a wire fence.

Why is Bull Cave So Important?

Bull Cave is very important to the history and culture of New South Wales. It offers a rare look at what Aboriginal people experienced when Europeans first arrived. It's one of the few Aboriginal rock art sites that shows European subjects. It tells the unique story of the First Fleet cattle escaping and thriving in the area that became known as the Cowpastures. The way the art is painted is typical of traditional Aboriginal art from the Sydney Basin sandstone areas.

The cave is also important because of its strong links to the Dharawal, Gundugurra, and Dharug Aboriginal peoples. It sits where the lands of these three groups meet, showing their historical connections to this riverside landscape.

Bull Cave was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on August 28, 2017, because it meets several important criteria:

• It shows the pattern of cultural or natural history in New South Wales.

Bull Cave gives us a special look into the very first interactions between Aboriginal people and European settlers. It tells the story of the First Fleet cattle from an Aboriginal point of view. It was also one of the last places where Aboriginal people could live their traditional life independently.

• It has a strong link to important people or groups in New South Wales history.

The site and its art are significant because of their special connection to the Dharawal, Gundugurra, and Dharug Aboriginal people. It's located where their traditional lands meet.

• It shows great artistic skill or beauty.

The rock art at Bull Cave is important for its artistic value. It's an example of the painting style found in the Sydney Basin's sandstone areas. The use of stencils and symbolic designs is common here. The bull theme is unusual, but the painting technique is typical of Aboriginal art in this region. The clear way the cloven feet are drawn helps identify the animals.

• It has a strong social, cultural, or spiritual meaning for a community.

Bull Cave is important to everyone in New South Wales, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal. It's a unique record of the early contact period, seen through the eyes of the land's traditional owners. It's also very important to the local Aboriginal community as a traditional and historical site. They value it as a teaching place and a symbol of the challenges they face in celebrating and protecting their heritage.

• It has the potential to teach us more about New South Wales's history.

Bull Cave is important for future archaeological research. Only a small part of the cave entrance has been studied so far. More research could help us understand early art after European settlement. It could also reveal how Aboriginal people continued to use rock art sites and reacted to the changes brought by European settlement.

• It is rare or unique in New South Wales.

While there are other examples of Aboriginal rock art showing European subjects, Bull Cave is special. It's the only painting of cattle made so soon after European settlement. It connects the Aboriginal community to a dramatic event: the loss and rediscovery of the first cattle in Australia.

• It shows the main features of a type of cultural or natural place.

The paint, methods, and style of the paintings in Bull Cave are a good example of Aboriginal rock art found in the Sydney Basin.