Panaramitee Petroglyphs

The style is dominated by pecked animal tracks, circles, radiating forms and relatively few detailed human figures. It takes its name from Panaramitee Station in South Australia but related motifs occur across a much wider part of the continent.

They are often described as belonging to a very old engraving tradition, but assigning one age to the entire style is risky. Similar track-and-circle motifs may have been made in different regions and periods.

The engraved tracks are commonly interpreted as those of kangaroos, emus and other animals familiar to Aboriginal communities. Some marks may also represent human footprints or symbolic tracks whose full cultural meanings are not publicly known.

Artists generally created the motifs by repeatedly pecking exposed rock surfaces with a harder stone tool. Weathering later softened many outlines, which complicates both identification and dating.