Offshore islands and maritime explorations in Australian prehistory

Abstract

The settlement of mainland Australia at an early (and uncertainly known) date required a water-crossing. What about the settlement of the islands — neither numerous nor large compared with the island continent itself — that are offshore from Australia? The evidence reviewed shows a late settlement for nearly all of them, and a perplexing lack of pattern.

Mid-Holocene Aboriginal occupation of offshore islands in northern Australia? A reassessment of Wurdukanhan, Mornington Island, southern Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia

“…Barker, 2004;Bowdler, 1995;McNiven et al, 2014;O'Connor, 1992;Rosendahl et al, 2014a;Rowland, 1987Rowland, , 1989Rowland, , 2002Rowland, , 2008Sim and Wallis, 2008;Veth et al, 2007). Studies have focused on questions concerning the nature and timing of use of islands, such as when were islands first used and/or permanently occupied?…”

“…As research into island use has expanded, several attempts have been made to explain regional variation in island use at a continental scale (Bowdler, 1995;O'Connor, 1992). Islands situated along the temperate southeast coast of Australia exhibit strong evidence for seasonal occupation (McNiven, 2000;Sullivan, 1982;Vanderwal, 1978), whereas islands in northern Australia have variable signatures in the timing and nature of use throughout the Holocene (Barker, 1991(Barker, , 2004David et al, 2004;Sim and Wallis, 2008;Wright, 2011).…”

The logic of visitation: Tool-use, technology and economy on Great Glennie Island, southeastern Australia

“…Keegan et al 2008), and perhaps some islands were deliberately protected from exploitation (as food reserves for hard times) by Aboriginal populations-like fire protection of monsoon rainforest patches in northern Australia (Jones 1975;Head 1996). Bowdler (1995) outlined the general problem of Aboriginal island abandonment until the late Holocene, and an apparent loss of watercraft technology, which must have existed to make initial crossings to the Australian continent about 50,000 years ago. Watercraft of some sophisticated form likely did exist simply because of the required planning and scale of the venture.…”

“…The range of possible colonization routes each involved island hopping over 90km and minimum sea crossings along any one route beyond 67km (see Allen and O'Connell 2008). Bowdler (1995) argued that:…”

“…Only within the last 4-3,000 years did they begin regularly to cross minimal water barriers, with increasing regularity in the last 1,000 years. Sim and Wallis (2008) explored further the issues raised by Bowdler (1995), specifically the role of both cultural and environmental factors at play in the pattern of Aboriginal settlement, abandonment and renewed island visitation after about 4,200 years ago. Previously considered factors linked with island occupation, abandonment and re-visitation, have included patterns of coastal and littoral resource exploitation, mobility and watercraft in diverse environmental zones around the Australian continent (e.g.…”