Ice Age cave find upends what we know about Australia's first people
Glacier landscapes may not have been hurdles for early human migration, study suggests
Vishwam Sankaran
Tuesday 17 June 2025 11:54 BST
Archaeologists have unearthed rare artefacts dating to the last ice age at a cave in Australia’s Blue Mountains, providing definitive proof that the rugged ranges were once occupied by the continent’s first people.
Researchers working with First Nations community members found that Dargan Shelter, a frigid site at an elevation of about 1073m (3280 ft) west of Sydney, was occupied by early humans 20,000 years ago.
The findings, published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, provide the oldest evidence yet of occupation above 700m in Australia.
It upends previous beliefs that the Blue Mountain ranges were too difficult to occupy during the last ice age, and also hints that such icy landscapes may not have been a hurdle for early human migration.
Dargan Shelter on Dharug Country in upper Blue Mountains
Dr Amy Way
The research also raises further questions about the ingenuity of early indigenous Australians that enabled them to adapt to these inhospitable conditions.
More:
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/australia-aborgin-people-ice-age-cave-b2771386.html