Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream

I wanted to visit this place years ago, 2015?, but the local bus line to get there was horrible. I ended up in the town of Ulsan which is easy enough, waiting for the local bus...well the display was digital (new and flashy back in the days) and the bus line wasn't shown. Eventually it did but the display was showing the time to arrive at this bus stop which is another hour...omg. Well, crazy as it is, a French guy and his Korean gf walked by so I asked about the bus and she checked her app to know it's another hour and gave me info on the return. Well, this wasn't good. TLDR don't go there with public transportation unless you have heaps of time or know the actual times ... best would be with Korean knowledge. Anyhow, I see most people taking a taxi there but I just went to Busan to cool off which Gamcheon Culture Village helping a lot there.

A few years later I drove around Korea by myself and voila I made it to Ulsan. I obviously went to the stream and the first thing you want to do is visit the museum. It was quite busy with school children on that day so my impressions are a bit mixed. It's definitely a must-see though. I then drove further out (it's walkable) and parked just in front of the stream. It's not really official parking and only a few will park but …

Summer 2023 while driving on the highway from Busan to Gyeongju, I decided to take a meaningful detour. Along the way lie two important sites, the famous Tongdosa Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the lesser-known Bangudae Petroglyphs, at that time on UNESCO’s Tentative List. Curious to explore something more off the beaten path, I headed toward Bangudae. The road leading from the highway to the Bangudae Petroglyph Museum was freshly paved and well-kept, likely part of a beautification effort as the site prepares for potential World Heritage status. Instead of stopping at the museum immediately, I continued on to a small alley where a walking trail to Bangudae begins. The path runs alongside a peaceful river, offering a gentle immersion into the Korean countryside. I passed a lively riverside restaurant where a group of Korean hikers were enjoying cold beers after a long walk. Further along, I encountered two local tombs and even a site of dinosaur footprints, a reminder of the deep time embedded in this region.

At the end of the trail, I finally reached the Bangudae Petroglyphs, carved into a cliff across the river. But from that viewing point, the carvings were difficult to make out. The famous images of whales and ancient hunting scenes were nearly invisible to the naked eye. Honestly, it was a bit underwhelming. Returning to the museum, however, changed everything. Inside, I found a detailed replica of the Bangudae Petroglyphs, and as I studied it, a wave of …

The ‘Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream’ (the adjusted official name) will be South Korea’s nomination for 2025. Especially at the Ulsan Petroglyphs Museum, located at the site entrance, they are confident that it will get inscribed. Information panels detail the milestones in the nomination process, a map is showing all rock art WHS worldwide, and I was presented with a booklet explaining the site’s OUV. I wouldn’t say it’s a great site from either an artistic or visitor experience perspective. Still, they have done their best to provide a satisfying visit that will take some 2.5-3 hours if you take in all components (the museum, the two panels of petroglyphs, and the dinosaur tracks) on foot. And it's all free.

The exhibition at the museum is a preview of what we will see in the nomination dossier: a compelling story about how the local people during the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age depended on whale hunting for their livelihood. They “loved” the whales so much that they made numerous engravings on the rocks by the riverside, possibly as a form of worship. Some sources say it's also the earliest evidence found so far of the practice of whaling worldwide, although this claim isn't repeated in the proposed OUV statement (it speaks of "a subject only rarely found in rock art worldwide").

The main set of petroglyphs is called Bangudae. I only succeeded in getting the upper photo of the two posted with this review …

A few points additional to the previous review

a. The museum was opened in 2008 and is a fine example of the money and effort which S Korea is prepared to spend on providing Musea at its (T)WHS sites (and maybe at others too?) Designed in an elongated “sinuous” shape it is meant to represent the Whales which figure on the Bangudae carvings and an, otherwise architecturally unnecessary, “Tail” has been affixed to one end of the roof of the building to assist this representation!

b. We were almost the only visitors present in mid week early afternoon and were provided with literature in English by the 3 staff – who spoke no English, making it a bit difficult for me to establish which of the 2 rock carvings might be the better to concentrate on if we didn’t have time to visit both! We were ushered into a plush cinema and shown a video with English dubbing. Part of this showed the museum’s opening ceremony attended by hordes of besuited “executives” – Unfortunately I missed catching the exact figure given on how many millions (trillions?) of Won the whole thing cost.

c. The museum does indeed contain good fibreglass replicas of the 2 rock faces and that for Bangudae is worth examining in detail since the later views of the real thing are very limited. The claim is that the representations (created from late Neolithic to the early Bronze age – 7000-3500 ybp) “include the oldest …

On the first day of July, early afternoon, rain pouring, we arrived at Ulsan Petroglyphs Museum. Once I entered the museum (in part as shelter), I was immediately impressed. This history lesson will be different than most museums or historic sites in Korea. Nothing about Confucianism, Buddhism, seowon, fortresses, or tombs!

The museum really is fantastic, sure not much is in English, but the replica copies of both petroglyphs are superb. The video in the small theater is informative and quite dramatic, some English. The museum is where you should start, it probably takes 30 to 45 minutes. After the museum you have two choices.

1) 1.2km hike to Bangudae Petroglyphs

2) 1.2km hike to the Petroglyphs in Cheonjeon-ri

Because of the heavy rain and a warning that Cheonjeon-ri in this rain could be dangerous, the museum staff recommended the short hike to Bangudae Cliff. The walk is very pleasant, and quite scenic along the Daegokcheon Stream (even a small spot with dinosaur footprints). Once you are in view of Bangudae cliff, there are high zoom installed binoculars. Since you are on the opposite side of the stream, the distance makes seeing the petroglyphs difficult (especially in heavy rain). With my new camera (40X zoom) I could see them fairly well, but high zoom + heavy rain does not equal great pictures. The picture here is from the replica, but several of my pictures were focused on this scene, and with zoom I could make it out with difficulty.

Despite …