During my recent ramble around Wollongong Botanic Garden something caught my eye. It was nestled away in the base of a tree hollow, where all the good things hide, standing out with flashes of purple and teal amongst the leaf litter. A painted rock!

As a lover of all things shiny, I couldn’t help but reach out and grab it, turning it over in my hand. Painted on the back was the artist’s name, Rhielle, and an invitation to either re-hide the rock or to keep it and to post a picture of it on Facebook.

How did I not know about this state-wide game of hide and seek? Turns out, it was because I didn't have children at home during lockdown. Those of you who did will probably know all too well the ins and outs of rock hiding, spoon decorating and going on bear hunts. The painting of rocks, which was around long before Covid, has survived those pandemic years and is still hugely popular. 

In fact, there are more than 130,000 painted rock aficionados in the NSW ROCKS Hide n Seek Facebook group and another 3000 in the local Gong Rocks page.

The idea is simple enough, encouraging people to let their inner artist out by painting (with acrylics or paint pens, no googly eyes or anything that could detach and get into the environment) fun and kid-friendly designs, then hiding them for others to find. Finders can decide if they want to keep them for themselves or if they want to hide it again, be it in the same area, or further afield. This is now some rocks end up in other states or even overseas!

NSW ROCKS says that rock painting is, “a rock art movement meant to send love into the world with a little bit of creativity and paint. It’s outdoor nature play that encourages kids/families to be creative and use their imagination, whilst having fun at the same time!”

Eight-year-old Zaki was lucky enough to find a Gong Rocks rock in a nearby park. She said, “I felt happy because…sometimes they have cool messages on them like mind did…” That message was ‘Be Kind’ and even better was the art itself. “I liked the picture on the rock,” Zaki said, “because it has a cupcake on it. It looks cute!” She ended up re-hiding it so that someone else could join in on the fun.

You don't need to be an award-winning artist, although some exceptionally beautiful examples are out there just waiting to be unearthed. Or maybe you prefer to just stick to the seeking side of things. Either way, as NSW ROCKS writes, "Sharing of positivity, love and kindness continues with each rock that is hidden and found."