Grinding Grooves

Aboriginal grinding groove sites are small depressions in rock, formed by the repeated movement of hard stone artefacts against a softer stone surface, to either sharpen stone hatchet heads, stone wedges, hand held ‘axes’ and wooden artefacts with fire hardened points (such as digging sticks) or to grind secondary material (such as grass seeds). Grinding grooves were almost always located close to a source of water which was used to assist the grinding process.

There are grinding grooves evident in outcrops of ‘volcanic sandstone’ (a secondary deposition of sediments eroded after volcanic activity) in a suburb to the south of Canberra. These outcrops are exposed on flat, slightly north sloping ground at a medium altitude in relation to the surrounding terrain. Tuggeranong Creek located approximately 250 metres to the north of the grooves, is the nearest water source. The grooves are cigar shaped and vary in length between 10 cm to 30 cm. Some of the grooves are wider and deeper and it is possible that these larger grooves were carved to hold water, either after rainfall or carried from the creek, to wet the stone for grinding.

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

Grinding Grooves brochure ( PDF 3.2Mb)

Further Information

• Scar Trees
• Plant Use
• Rock Shelters
• Scattered Artefacts
• Stone Quarry Sites
• Rock Art
• Stone Arrangements
• 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.