July 3 (Bloomberg) -- Australian archeologists have found pristine rock art of animals and human figures drawn by waves of visitors as long as 4,000 years ago in a cave near Sydney, the country's biggest city.

``It is like an ancient world that time forgot,'' Paul Tacon, the Australian Museum's rock art expert and top anthropological researcher said in a statement on the museum's Web site. ``We've never seen anything quite like this combination of rare representations in so many layers.''

The 203 drawings, rendered in red, yellow, white and charcoal black, are in as many as 12 layers from different time periods and reflect a long stretch of visitation by inhabitants of the area, the museum said. The art includes depictions of birds, lizards, eagles and kangaroos. One picture released by the museum shows handprints stenciled on the cave's walls.

The cave's location, in the Wollemi National Park 100 kilometers (60 miles) northwest of Sydney, is being kept secret to ensure the preservation of the find. Archeologists worked with aboriginal representatives to carry out the study of the discovery, according to the museum. Wollemi park is the largest wilderness area in New South Wales.

Three hikers found the world's oldest known rock art in December 1994, at the Chauvet-Pont-D'Arc cave in France. Studies indicate that the images there, which include depictions of rhinoceroses, were drawn as long as 31,000 years ago. Access to Chauvet, now owned by the French government, is restricted and the cave is guarded by a security system and video monitoring.

Last Updated: July 2, 2003 15:44 EDT