The Mudgegonga rock shelter is a large rock overhang which contains over 400 Aboriginal wall paintings and stencils and evidence of prehistoric Aboriginal occupation. The site is located in north eastern Victoria near the town of

Mudgegonga Mudgegonga is a locality in northeast Victoria, Australia. It is northeast of the state capital, Melbourne. At the , Mudgegonga had a population of 172. Mudgegonga is 15 minutes from the nearest town Myrtleford; there are mainly farms situated ...

, and is associated with rich artefact deposits that shows occupation of the region by 3,500 years ago and may have been used several thousand years before this. It has been described as one of the richest rock art sites in Victoria. The paintings are ochre and pipeclay on rock and include the only painting of the

potoroo Potoroo is a common name for species of ''Potorous'', a genus of smaller marsupials. They are allied to the Macropodiformes, the suborder of kangaroo, wallaby, and other rat-kangaroo genera. All three extant species are threatened by ecological c ...

species in Victoria. The artefact deposits associated with the shelter, which were composed predominantly of quartz, were subject to investigation by LaTobe university in the 1980s. Plans to undertake conservation works at the site resulted in controversy when Gary Murray, co-chairman of the

Dhudhuroa The Dhudhuroa people (or Duduroa) are an Indigenous Australian people of North-eastern Victoria, in the state of Victoria, Australia. About 2,000 descendants exist in Australia in the early 21st century. Name The endonym Dhudhuroa has been analys ...

Native Title Group, disputed claims of another Aboriginal group to make decisions about the site and lodged an application with Heritage Minister

Peter Garrett Peter Robert Garrett (born 16 April 1953) is an Australian musician, environmentalist, activist and former politician. In 1973, Garrett became the lead singer of the Australian rock band Midnight Oil. As a performer he is known for his sign ...

to protect the site from "a threat of injury and desecration" due to assessment and restoration activities being planned by Aboriginal Affairs Victoria.Rock art restoration plan seen as desecration, Jewel Topsfield, ''The Age'' December 8, 2008
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References

Josephine Flood Josephine Mary Flood, (née Scarr, born 25 July 1936) is an English-born Australian archaeologist, mountaineer, and author. Early life and education Josephine Flood was born Josephine Scarr in Yorkshire, England. She took a BA in Classics ...

, Archaeology of the Dreamtime, J. B. Publishing {{DEFAULTSORT:Mudgegonga rock shelter Rock art in Australia History of Victoria (Australia) Rock shelters in Australia

See also

References