The Yankee Hat art site is located about 90 minutes’ drive from Canberra or 20 minutes from Tharwa. Photo: Visit Canberra.
One of the ACT’s most significant Aboriginal heritage sites has reopened to the public, more than five years after it was damaged in the 2020 Orroral Valley bushfires.
The Yankee Hat Rock Art Site in Namadgi National Park, about 90 minutes’ drive south of Canberra, is once again welcoming visitors following major upgrades funded through the Australian Government’s Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Grant.
The works include a steel viewing platform, an elevated boardwalk, new interpretive signage, a steel footbridge across Bogong Creek and improvements to the three-kilometre walking track that leads to the site.
The picnic area and carpark have also been upgraded with “bushfire-resilient” materials.
Much of the original Yankee Hat signage and boardwalk were destroyed by the 2020 bushfires. Photo: Visit Canberra.
ACT Minister for City Services Tara Cheyne said the project was “carefully designed to not harm or disturb the site’s cultural significance or the natural surroundings”.
“The ACT Government worked with traditional custodians throughout this project, as well as consultants for heritage and archaeological advice, so the area can continue to be appropriately preserved.”
She urged visitors to treat the site with respect.
“Please do not touch the art or the rock surface as oils from your skin will damage the painting which is unique to the ACT and the Southern Tablelands region.”
The Yankee Hat rock shelter takes the form of a granite boulder at the base of Yankee Hat Mountain, shaped by centuries of weathering.
It’s the only publicly accessible Aboriginal rock art site in the ACT, even if the name itself was given by early European settlers who thought the outline of the mountain resembled the wide-brimmed hats worn by American pioneers.
Underneath, out of the rain, awaits the oldest known Aboriginal rock art in the ACT. Some of the figures were painted hundreds, possibly thousands, of years ago.
The Yankee Hat shelter gets its name from yep, the hats worn by American pioneers. Photo: Visit Canberra.
Evidence from nearby sites suggests Aboriginal people camped in the area as long as 3700 years ago, while carbon dating of deposits within the Yankee Hat shelter show it was used for at least 800 years.
The paintings use clay and ochre pigments, bound with natural materials such as sap, animal oils or blood. Some depict kangaroos, turtles and dingoes; others are abstract or human-like figures, even if their precise meanings will always remain unclear.
Ngunnawal people, as the traditional custodians, continue to care for the site and ask cultural protocols are respected. The site is protected under the Heritage Act 2004, which makes it an offence to damage, disturb or destroy Aboriginal heritage places.
The artwork at Yankee Hat is fragile so do not touch. Photo: Visit Canberra.
Federal Member for Bean David Smith said the reopening was long awaited.
“Yankee Hat is a special place of high cultural value,” he said.
“The site is accessible to the public again and I encourage all Canberrans to visit, to learn and experience what it has to offer. Canberrans have been looking forward to this reopening for a long time and recognise the efforts made to protect this special place.”
For visitors, the trip involves a six-kilometre return walk through the Gudgenby Valley, taking in open grasslands and mountain views before reaching the viewing platform.
Along the way, interpretive signs explain the landscape and how it came to be the way it is.
The ACT Government hopes the new infrastructure will allow more people to safely experience the site, while also ensuring it is preserved for generations to come.
To plan a visit and learn more about the Yankee Hat Rock Art Site, visit the Parks ACT website.
