Submerged Sites Identified Off Australia’s Northwestern Coastline

ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA—According to a statement released by Flinders University, underwater archaeologists working with the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation rangers and divers have identified sites off the northwestern coast of Australia where First Peoples lived more than 9,000 years ago, when sea levels rose and reshaped the coastline. The submerged area covers some 772,000 square miles. One of the identified sites includes a freshwater spring and stone tools, which were made using material obtained from an island about 14 miles away. Another site featured a rocky hill overlooking a river channel. “The Ngarda-Ngarli people have cared for Murujuga for at least 50,000 years,” said Vincent Adams, director of Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation. “The more we learn about how our ancestors used and cared for Country, the better equipped we are to protect it for future generations,” he added. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Quaternary Science Reviews. To read about Aboriginal rock art documented on Australia’s northeastern coast, go to “Knowing the Ropes.”