Kentucky Farm Rock Art
| Kentucky Farm Rock Art |
|---|
Kentucky Farm Rock Art is home to fine rock heart in Mashonaland West Province.
Why Visit
This site is little known as it does not feature in any of the early rock art literature, but the paintings are particularly well preserved and amongst the best in Zimbabwe and give a good idea of what the less well-preserved sites today looked like in their prime. The paintings are typical of the Trelawney / Darwendale area in that human figures are painted mostly in solid-fill in red ochre with no evidence of white paint and feature mostly hunters with weapons. The animal figures are predominately female kudu. The camp scene is outstanding and the technique of showing the sleeping couples and children in solid-fill with the blankets or grass bedding shown as hatched lines is probably unique in Zimbabwean rock art. Easy access mostly on tarred roads.
How to get here
From Harare take the A1 towards Chinhoyi. Distances are from the A1 turnoff to Darwendale just after Nkomo Barracks. Turn left on to the tarred road to Darwendale, 21.3 KM pass through Darwendale village. 24 KM turn left onto an unsignposted narrow tar road becoming an untarred road leading to Kentucky Farm. 28.4 KM ignore untarred road to the right. [Note the kopjes on the right soon after the turnoff feature the Marengoa rock art site] 32.2 KM pass Mtotwe Store / Bowden Farm on your left, 40.5 KM pass Donington Farm on your left, pass Nicotina Store, 45.1 KM pass untarred road on your right, pass Kazanzi Farm on your left, 48.0 KM reach Kentucky Farm turnoff on your right shortly after passing a prominent gum tree. Take this unsignposted gravel track; 49.3 KM reach the tobacco barns on your left. Turn in and request permission to visit the rock art site. It is probably worth asking if there is a young guide to help you find the site. Continue on the track in a north-easterly direction across old tobacco lands. The track is indistinct and grass covered, but offers no problems for a high clearance vehicle. 50.5 Km ignore the track heading east and continue across the lands in a NNE direction, 50.7 KM follow the track in a NNW direction, 50.9 KM leave the more established track, for a lesser track going east, 51.1KM take the track going left at the fork, travelling ENE and then east. 52 KM park the vehicle. The site is in the wooded area about 200 metres to the south east and at ground level. Matari Hill trig point is marked on the 1:250,000 map and a few hundred yards to the south. Zimbabwe Caves And Rock Paintings
