Baiame

The Baiame Cave is found on private property near Milbrodale in the Hunter Valley NSW. On the wall of a sandstone overhang is a painting of Baiame the 'Father of All' as he is known to the Dreamtime of many NSW Aboriginal cultures, including the Wonnarua on whose traditional land the cave is found. The Aboriginal paintings have been carbon dated at around 3,000 years old.

Baiame came down from the sky to the land and created rivers, mountains, and forests. He then gave the people their laws of life, traditions, songs and culture. He also created the first initiation site. This is known as a bora; a place where boys were initiated into manhood. When he had finished, he returned to the sky and people called him the Sky Hero or All Father or Sky Father. After he finished creating, he jumped back up to the spirit world from Mount Yengo which he flattened. Its flat top can still be seen to this day.

He is said to be married to Birrahgnooloo (Birran-gnulu), who is often identified as an emu and with whom he has a son Daramulum (Dharramalan). It was forbidden to mention or talk about the name of Baiame publicly. Women were not allowed to see drawings of Baiame nor approach Baiame sites - which are often male initiation sites (boras).

In rock paintings Baiame is always painted in front view and often depicted as a human figure with a large head-dress or hairstyle with internal decorations such as waistbands, vertical lines running down the body, bands and dots. The dots are said to have given him power over smallpox. Daramulum is drawn in profile.