Aboriginal sites

The name "Wollombi" is derived from the Aboriginal meaning "meeting place" or "meeting of the waters'", and prior to European settlement Wollombi held great significance for local Aboriginal tribes who used the area as a ceremonial meeting  place. In particular, Mt Yengo (right) was a major focus of Aboriginal culture, being directly connected to the Dreamtime story of the creation of the earth.

Today rock carvings and cave paintings found in the area stand as a  visual reminder of the spiritual ties Aborigines held with the region. The Hunter Valley is home to over 300 Aboriginal sites dating back over 13,000 years, and well-preserved Aboriginal engravings can be viewed in a number of locations in Yengo National Park and the Watagans.

The original line of the Great North Road was probably one of a web of Aboriginal tracks in this area (Lavelle et al l999: 7). Edwards (1996:89) states that the Old Great North Road deviates around certain sacred Aboriginal sites, suggesting that the local Darkinjung people purposefully diverted the European trail-blazers to avoid these sites.