Early human occupation of Australia's eastern seaboard

Area of Science:

• Archaeology
• Quaternary Science
• Australian Prehistory

Background:

• Secure archaeological evidence for human occupation on Australia's eastern seaboard before 25,000 years ago has been scarce.
• This lack of evidence has led some researchers to propose that coastal margins were uninhabited prior to 25,000 years ago.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate early human occupation on the eastern seaboard of Australia.
• To establish chronologies for human presence at Wallen Wallen Creek (WWC) and Middle Canalpin Creek (MCA20) on Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island).

Main Methods:

• Radiocarbon dating of charcoal and stone artefacts.
• Analysis of heat-treated silcrete artefacts.
• Palaeoenvironmental analysis of anthropogenic burning indicators.

Main Results:

• Human occupation at WWC dated between 30 ± 6 and 49 ± 8 ka.
• Human occupation at MCA20 dated between 38 ± 8 and 41 ± 8 ka.
• Earliest evidence includes charcoal, retouched exotic stone artefacts, and heat-treatment of silcrete from ~30,000 years ago.
• Palaeoenvironmental data indicates anthropogenic burning by 45,000 years ago.

Conclusions:

• Confirms early human occupation on Australia's now-drowned eastern continental shelf.
• Provides evidence for human presence on Minjerribah significantly earlier than 25,000 years ago.
• Highlights the antiquity of heat-treatment technology in Australia.