How long has it been?

Today is Australia Day and we celebrated it as we usually do. There were some groups who celebrated it by protesting about the date of Australia Day and whilst I disagree, they have the right to protest subject to COVID rules and existing laws. I am confused about one part of the protest and I'd like the learned people in this forum to help. When I was at school a long time ago we were told that Aborigines had been here about 4,000 year; this became 12,000 years, 20,000 years, 30,000 years, 40,000 years and settled at 60,000 years some years ago. Last year, on a local radio station, an Aboriginal elder quoted 500,000 years which is obviously incorrect but today on radio and TV I heard that the figure has become 65,000 years and a banner at a protest march stated 100,000 years. Can anybody give me the right answer and, hopefully, supply the proof to support their answer?

4 comments

Hi Albert,

Our friend Max Williams shared some insight on this in this article: https://www.yourlifechoices.com.au/travel/destinations/mungo-magic/

You'll find out more here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Mungo_remains

That may support one theory, at least!

What does your research tell you?

65,000 seems the likely answer, based on best evidence. However there are some doubts, and it all depends on the areas you are looking at, eg for Tasmania it is more like 45,000. Note that there definitely were several "waves" of invasion, er sorry, colonisation, oops, INFLUX, so it becomes complex. The first settlers (that's better!) might have died out, and so on, so it might not have been continuous. There are a number of theories, all based on minimal and tenuous evidence, as is much of archaeology.

"Always here..." etc is just plain silly.

Thanks Leon, seems that the most non-controversial number is around 40,000. Dating the rocks around a burial site doesn't seem to be a conclusive method for dating remains. I have no research on this topic as I am relying on the knowledge of the members of this site.

Very interesting Janus

.. tend to agree with those thoughts.

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