This natural cave at Cowan Creek in the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park was originally used by local Aboriginal people over thousands of years. Since European settlement it has been used by many people, some of who have inscrided their names or initials on the walls. This includes a group of First World War veterans during the period of 1919 to 1920.
Etched into the wall of the cave are nine names, surrounded by an Australian Imperial Force (A.I.F.) badge. It appears originally there were eight names listed, with the ninth name added by a different hand. It is apparent not only from the inscribed date, but also from the assortment of old beer bottles in the water at the approach to the cave, that this group of young men spent considerable amounts of time there. All of them had been wounded, with some medically discharged because of their injuries, and it seems likely that their comradeship and this cave, with its beautiful, tranquil setting, helped them deal with the traumas of war they had all experienced.
In the inscription, they refer to themselves as the 'Burwood Bing Boys'. The Bing Boys Are Here was an extremely popular light musical/comedy revue, which played in London from 1916 until after the Armistice in 1918. The first revue featured the two Bing brothers, Oliver and Lucifer, who left their dull country town to go to the bright lights of London, where they had a wide range of 'slap-bang', improbable, amusing, daring, and colourful adventures. From at least 1917, the revue was picked up by the J C. Williamson company in Australia, where it toured widely for a number of years. It is likely that some of the men who served in Europe saw the show in London. Clearly, they identified with the two brothers and their adventures and thus borrowed the name.
Although there is quite a lot of graffiti in the cave, done over a long period, the memorial carving has not been defaced and is in quite good condition after 100 years.
Note: The map location shown above is approximate.