THE NATIVE QUARRY AT SYNDAL, 44, 



THE NATIVE QUARRY OF SYNDAL, NEAR 

 ROSS. (PL. in. AND IV.). 



By Fritz Noetling, M.A., Ph.D., etc. 

 (Read August lot'h, 1908.) 



In the monthly notices of this Society for June, July^ 

 and August, 1875, page 41, the late Mr. J. R. Scott de- 

 scribes the locality of a " native quarry "' as follows : — 



" It has long been desirable to fix upon a spot where 

 the Aborigines obtained their flint or stone implements. 

 I am now able to fix upon two places, viz. : — First, about 

 10 chains immediately in front and to the north-east of 

 the stone hut in Stocker's Bottom, County of Somerset, 

 Paris^h of Pell. The second is about one mile more to 

 the south-west, on Lot 443, on a branch of Dismal Creek 

 running out of Stocker's Bottom. These two places 

 are about six miles distant from the Macquarie River." 



I think the wording can only be interpreted in one 

 way, viz., that the Aborigines obtained the rock which 

 they used in the manufacture of their stone implements 

 .from two localities, about six miles from the Macquarie 

 River, at a place called Stocker's Bottom. In other 

 words, that there exists what, is commonly called a 

 " Native Quarry " at Stocker's Bottom. It is in this 

 meaning that Stocker's Bottom has been quoted in 

 Johnston's Geology of Tasmania and Ling Roth's 

 Aborigines of Tasmania. 



When visiting Mt. Morriston, in June, 1908, I was 

 anxious to see this locality, but Mr. Bennett, of Mt. 

 Morriston, informed me that the story of the native 

 quarry at Stocker's Bottom was a myth. However, I 

 thought it better to convince myself whether there is 

 any truth in Scott's statement or not, and accordingly 

 I set out, in company with Mr. Vere Poullet-Harris, and 



