Bunjil's Shelter, also known as Bunjil's Cave, is an

Aboriginal sacred site Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to: *Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology * Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area *One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...

in the

Grampians The Grampian Mountains (''Am Monadh'' in Gaelic) is one of the three major mountain ranges in Scotland, that together occupy about half of Scotland. The other two ranges are the Northwest Highlands and the Southern Uplands. The Grampian rang ...

region of Australia near Stawell. It contains a painting of Bunjil and two

dingos The dingo (''Canis familiaris'', ''Canis familiaris dingo'', ''Canis dingo'', or ''Canis lupus dingo'') is an ancient ( basal) lineage of dog found in Australia. Its taxonomic classification is debated as indicated by the variety of scienti ...

or dogs. It is the only known

rock art In archaeology, rock art is human-made markings placed on natural surfaces, typically vertical stone surfaces. A high proportion of surviving historic and prehistoric rock art is found in caves or partly enclosed rock shelters; this type also ...

site to represent Bunjil, the creator-being in many

Koori Koori (also spelt koorie, goori or goorie) is a demonym for Aboriginal Australians from a region that approximately corresponds to southern New South Wales and Victoria. The word derives from the Indigenous language Awabakal. For some people ...

cultures. It is one of the most significant Aboriginal cultural sites in south-eastern Australia. The shelter lies within the

Black Range Scenic Reserve Stawell (pronounced /stɔːl/, "Stawl"), is an Australian town in the Wimmera region of Victoria (Australia), Victoria west-north-west of the state capital, Melbourne. Located within the Shire of Northern Grampians Local government in Australia, ...

(not to be confused with the

Black Range State Park Black Range State Park is a state park northwest of Melbourne, Australia, near the town of Cavendish. It covers an area of . In addition to natural flora and fauna, the park protects Australian Aboriginal art and occupation sites of the Ja ...

), about south of Stawell. It is a small shelter at the base of a large

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...

boulder. It has been known to European locals since 1911 and the general public since 1957. It has long been fenced off due to repeated vandalism.

Authenticity and origin

The paintings at the shelter have been proven to be of authentic Aboriginal origin. However, since the site was first reported publicly, its origin and authenticity has been questioned. The common views are that the paintings ''are'' of Aboriginal origin, that the paintings have been 'touched up' by Europeans, or that the paintings were entirely created by Europeans. As research and methodology advanced, the interpretation of the sites origin have changed several times. In 1979, due to faulty analysis of the pigments the site was removed from the VAS site register as it was interpreted to be of European origin. However, this decision was reversed in 1983 when scanning electron microscopes (SEM) analysis was used to authenticate the sites' Aboriginal origin. The SEM analysis showed that the site had been painted with authentic ochres, and had been 'touched up' with European paints.Clark, Ian D
"'... Sheer, Utter, European Arrogance...'Challenges to the Authenticity of Rock Art Sites in the Grampians-Gariweed Region of Victoria, Australia."
(1998). While Aboriginal paintings can usually be authenticated by comparison with known authentic techniques and styles, this is harder with Bunjil's Shelter as it is unique and isolated.

In popular culture

The shelter is represented Victorian rock art in a series of eight postage stamps entitled 'The First Australians' A replica of the art of the site is on display in Stawell.

References

{{reflist Australian Aboriginal art Rock art in Australia Rock art Mythology Aboriginal peoples of Victoria (Australia)