Aboriginal Scarred Trees

Due to early land clearing practices of the early European settlers in the region, as well as natural attrition, scarred trees are not very common in the ACT and are assigned a much higher significance in the region than they may be elsewhere in the country.

Scars on trees result from the removal of bark by Aboriginal people for a variety of activities relating either to the domestic, ceremonial or economic uses of bark.

Tree bark was an integral component of Aboriginal material culture and was used for shelter, canoes and a wide range of domestic articles. Sometimes bark was deliberately removed in order to create a marker tree or to allow access to another resource from a tree (eg: sometimes toe-holds were cut into trees to assist climbers with obtaining possums). Sometimes patterns were carved into the tree trunks for ceremonial purposes. To date, the ACT does not have any carved trees (dendroglyphs) which are also becoming increasingly rare to locate in other parts of South Eastern Australia.

Aboriginal Scarred Trees brochure ( PDF 2.5MB)

Further Information

• Plant Use
• Grinding Grooves 
• Rock Shelters
• Stone Arrangements and Artefacts
• Rock Art
• The Bogong Moth Story
• Aboriginal Cultural Landscape, Sites and Artefacts
• Aboriginal Connections to Country
  

Please respect Aboriginal heritage sites and objects. It is an offence to damage, disturb or destroy Aboriginal heritage places and objects.