First Human Settlement of Australia
Prehistory

First Human Settlement of Australia

c. 65,000 BCECentral Australia

First humans arrive in Sahul via sea crossings, marking the earliest migration out of Africa into Oceania.

Archaeological evidence from sites like Madjedbebe indicates modern humans reached the Australian continent approximately sixty-five thousand years ago. This achievement required sophisticated maritime technology to cross deep-water channels separating islands from mainland Asia. These early voyagers adapted rapidly to diverse environments, hunting megafauna and developing complex toolkits. Their arrival fundamentally altered human geographic distribution and initiated a continuous cultural lineage spanning millennia before European contact.

This migration represents the first major expansion of humanity into isolated continents beyond Afro-Eurasia.
First Human Settlement of Australia
First Human Settlement of Australia

Where it happened

Central Australia — see it on the interactive map →

Explore related history

Prehistory History of Oceania 650th Century BCE

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