Archaeologists have
found the first evidence to suggest that Aboriginal people have been in
Australia for at least 65,000 years.
The
discovery indicates their arrival on the continent was up to 18,000 years
earlier than previously thought.
It was made
after sophisticated artefacts were excavated from a rock shelter in the
Northern Territory.
Researchers
unearthed what they say are the world's oldest stone axes and ochre crayons,
thought to be used for art.
Although
there is some debate, scientists have previously estimated that humans arrived
in Australia between 47,000 and 60,000 years ago.
"We
have managed to establish a new age for first occupation in Australia and
pushed it back by about 18,000 years beyond what was the previous established
age of about 47,000 years," said Associate Prof Chris Clarkson, from the
University of Queensland.
"This
has huge implications for everything from the out-of-Africa story to the extinction of megafauna and Aboriginal peoples' own
knowledge of how long they have been in this country."
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