Conquest of the deserts

Archaeological research at the Willandra Lakes Region challenges the long-held assumption that Australia's arid zones were abandoned during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and only recolonized later. Contrary to this model, evidence suggests that humans inhabited even the most inhospitable deserts in central and western Australia before the LGM, including areas like the Nullarbor Plain and Western Desert. This finding reshapes our understanding of human adaptation to extreme environments and Australia's role in global prehistory. The study, rooted in extensive interdisciplinary research—unprecedented in scale for any Australian region—draws on geomorphological models proposed by Jim Bowler and archaeological insights from figures like Mike Smith and Scott Cane. By integrating these perspectives, the research offers a nuanced narrative of human resilience and persistence in arid landscapes over millennia.

Mulvaney, J., & Kamminga, J. (2020). Conquest of the deserts. Prehistory of Australia, 190–206. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003136941-12