What is ancient Australia?
Q: What is ancient Australia?
A: Ancient Australia, also known as the Prehistory of Australia, covers the time from when the first humans arrived in Australia to the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788.
Q: How long have Aboriginal people been living in Australia?
A: Evidence suggests that Aboriginal people have probably lived in Australia for over 80,000 years.
Q: How did they migrate to Australia?
A: Due to low sea levels, migration from Asia to Australia was much easier than it is now and would have included distances of 90-100 km of open sea. It is not known what kind of boat would have been used for these crossings, but they were probably a raft made from bamboo.
Q: When did the land bridge between Australia and New Guinea become blocked by rising sea levels?
A: The land bridge between Australia and New Guinea was blocked by rising sea levels about 8,000 years ago.
Q: What does DNA evidence show about Australian Aborigines?
A: DNA evidence shows that Australian Aborigines belong to modern humans who left Africa between 50,000 and 70,000 years ago and most migration to Australia stopped about 50,000 years ago.
Q: What do many Aboriginal stories say about how they came to be in Australia?
A: Many Aboriginal stories from northern Australia say that the people came toAustralia from across the sea.
Q: What do archaeological sites reveal about life during this period?
A: Archaeological sites such as Lake Mungo, Kow Swamp, Coobool Creek Talgai and Keilor reveal information about life during this period including that most Australians had dark skin and black hair; were hunter-gatherers; moved around nomadically; developed into different ethnic groups with their own language and traditions; and had ceremonies or traded with other smaller groups.
