Aboriginal Paintings at Muline Creek 



by Ai lkj NUssoi.a* 



Vlulin,' t 'reck tS UK most northerly 

 0 f t|je l.uger creeks issuing from the 

 „.-sicr.i sc'irp of the Grampian's Vie- 

 K ,n l( Kanee. For our purpose u is 

 hcvi .cached Irom Halls Gap b> 

 pdMfeg the Victoria Valley to VV 

 (Oris Gap. and after negotiating the 

 uleiusla Crossing ol the Glcuclg 

 Kiver In continuing south along the 

 [jjbl of (he range until the creek is 



*TRfi p.unimgs, which will he known 

 Bi Mulmc Creek No. I. arc about 

 three-quarters of a mile in a north- 

 easterly direction from the point 

 where the creek crosses the road, and, 

 III course, can only he reached on 

 loot. However, the nature of the 

 „.untrv ' s S>udi ihat walking through 

 ,1 is not the strenuous exercise usual 

 in tt» Grampians. It is nevertheless 

 lust as panoramic a.s elsewhere in 

 ihi-sc niouiuains, and nature ItWBl* 

 will tind the walk a delightful excur- 

 sion into the realms of botany and 

 /oology, not in any way jnlcrior to 

 any ill the more precipitous ;uid 

 -ugged parts of the ranges. 



I he paintings arc on the north- 

 east face of a large tor. at least 

 SO ft. high hv 100 ft. long. They ate 

 in red ochre on a relatively smooth 

 part of the rock face, low down, 

 close to the sandy floor; and are 

 ftuftk protected from Ihe lain, hut 

 iioi from the wind and the sun, by 

 the overhang of the tor. 



Ihc smooth surface on the face 

 ol the rock is only nkout 2 ft 1 0 in 

 hv 4 ft. rim., and is cracked and 

 Hiked hm and there, and the sec- 

 tion close-si to Ihc sandy Root is 



May, 1971 



abraded anil sand blown. Thts 

 weathering process musi already NWW 

 been in progress in Aboriginal limes, 

 because part of the design is over 

 Ihe "new" face of the rock, oi 

 should I say. was painted, or per- 

 haps repainted, over old flaking scats. 

 However, flaking has continued into 

 more recent times, to the detriment 

 of the painting. 



The paintings consist of a small 

 gruup of abstract symbols, and these 

 lite always difficult of interpretation, 

 even withoui the added problems 

 caused by weathering and lading. 

 Beginning from the left there is an 

 upright kmg oval design, 1 2 in by 

 t in." in size, bisected by a perpen- 

 dicular snipe. To the fight of the 

 oval there arc three perpendicular 

 stripes, respectively 14 in.. I? in., and 

 1 4 in lona. To the right of ihese 

 ihere is a design somewhat like a 

 lone legged letter P 9 m. in length 

 with Ihe belly of die P protruding 

 3 m. Acws die top of the group of 

 stripes and Ihe letter P there is a 

 7 in. long stripe. 



A little below and to the left of 

 the whole croup there H an isolated 

 rendition of I "bird track", almost 

 entirely painted over a flaking scat, 

 and on the abraded and sand blown 

 section at the bottom of the rock 

 fee, below the -bird track", traces 

 ot an ttnrecogni/ablc design are 

 visible 



The lone oval design is similar to 

 |«p depietcit in the shelter known 

 as the Camp of Ihc Emu's Foot, which 



M |K W^K-y Mr. Mom Alh»rl Vfctl W 



139 



