(Photos at end of post, YouTube vlog here).

There is a trend on YouTube at the moment where hikers claim they have found something on Google Earth and hike out to it. It is usually in Utah America and usually finds an old Ancient Pueblo ruin. They are fascinating to watch. I question though whether these things are truly found on Google Earth or just found via a Google browser search first! The more genuine vloggers are The Trek Planner and Desert Drifter. I must admit to being a little bit addicted to their channels!

So one day whilst sitting in a fast food restaurant I decided to pull out Google Earth and check out the local area. Where I live there are many Aboriginal Engraving sites on rock platforms so I searched and found a cluster of rock platforms in the nearby National Park that I had not yet visited. I googled the area and found references to engravings and a rock shelter with art. I won’t be specific with the location in order to protect it but there are plenty of sites online to aid in your research should you also wish to go looking.

I wanted to take the kids but they were more interested in playing Roblox . In hindsight it was best to leave them at home as there was a lot of bushbashing required.

The trail wasn’t a long one and I started early enough that the birds were still in full morning cacophony mode. It was only about twenty minutes before I reached the first rock platform. Except it wasn’t a rock platform, rather it was simply a cleared area hosting a power line tower. Google Earth lied! Nice views though of the surrounding valleys. There were some low cliffs which may be what made the site show up so well on Google Earth, so I decided to climb up and take a look. I was very cautious at there was long grass and lots of places that snakes could hide. At the top I was rewarded with a lovely view but no engraving site. It didn’t matter I was enjoying myself! I had three other candidates to check out so the day wasn’t over.

The first bush bash came. I’m always slow as I try not to step on all the plants. I know wallabies will pound them down or possibly eat them but I’ll always try to be as non impactful as I can. (I want my stories to be of exploration not destruction). I weave my way down from the ridge and was met with a wide beautiful rock platform that looked to be a perfect candidate for petroglyphs! It was slippy as water that had seeped down from the upper elevations was trickling over it. I had to sit on my butt and shuffle down one part of it to avoid another fall (I fell and hurt myself a couple of years ago and my side has only just recovered- I wasn’t eager to go through that again!).

There were some massive spiderwebs strung across the trees so I had to be sure to look up every now and then to avoid a face full. I searched the whole platform and found nothing. I was a little bit puzzled to be honest. I knew there were engravings in the area and this seemed to be a perfect spot so why were they not here? What mades the folks back then choose one spot over another? I came to the realisation that it may simple have been the slippery or wet surface that made it less appealing. A practical reason more than anything else.

I climbed back up to the ridge and headed for my third candidate site.

This one was a real bush bash and I tried to memorise specific trees and logs and small clearing on the way in to help guide me on the way out. I didn’t really need it as upslope and downslope was enough of a guide! Still it’s a habit I’ve developed when leaving the track and it has help once when my phone, which I was relying on for the gps map, died. This rock platform was quite small and also clear of engravings.

I was becoming a tad perturbed. I had fooled myself into thinking I could predict where these sites were and I was totally and completely wrong. Hmm. I still had one last site to check out.

A the beginning of the walk I had the urge to check this spot out first. I should have listened to that inner voice! I descended from the ridge once again. There was a lot of long grass so I was cautious. There seemed to be a path of sorts leading down to the flat rocky area so this was a good sign. Indeed, as soon as I was on the rock platform I saw the first engraving! A wallaby I think. And then I saw another, smaller one. I scoured the rocks then found a larger fainter design. An emu maybe? It was probably another wallaby. There were other lines but hard to tell it they were natural or something that was heavily eroded. I took a moment to try to imagine the people living here doing this art. I was a bit pleased with myself. I had found something with a little detective work and a little bit of real knowledge.

I chastised myself a little bit as I felt that I was turning Aboriginal history into a Where’s Wally type of search. I was filming for my YouTube channel and had to check myself. I reasoned that going on an adventure and sharing it wasn’t something to worry about as long as I was being respectful to the history. I wasn’t standing on the engravings or sharing the exact location. And I was spending a little time trying to imagine why these people’s lives were like. I think that’s enough.

I started back but noticed some more rocky areas so decided to go exploring. I found a long low rock overhang and walked along it. Sure enough I found yet another wallaby carving. It was a nice spot and I could have sat and relaxed for longer than I did. I guessed that maybe the cave with art that I saw online was nearby, but I realised I could be out there all day and not find it. So after a last scout around I headed back up to the ridgeline.

I have to say I really enjoyed this adventure. The Google Earth bit was a gimmick for a bit of fun. In reality I always look at the satellite maps on my phone to try to find interesting spots. I do so love exploring, it’s the highlight of hiking for me.