How long have Aboriginal people lived in Australia?
Aboriginal people have lived in Australia for at least 65,000 years, according to archaeological evidence. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures are often described as the oldest continuous living cultures in the world.
The first people are believed to have arrived by sea from Southeast Asia during the last ice age, when sea levels were lower and Australia was joined to New Guinea. They still needed to cross stretches of open water to reach the continent.
Evidence from Madjedbebe, a rock shelter in Arnhem Land, has been dated to around 65,000 years ago. Other important sites include Lake Mungo in New South Wales, where human remains around 40,000 years old have been found.
Living culture
Over tens of thousands of years, Aboriginal people adapted to every environment in Australia, from deserts to rainforests and snow country. They developed complex systems of law, kinship, art, ceremony and land management.
Many Aboriginal people describe their presence in Australia as existing since the Dreaming, the time of creation described in their traditional stories.
Torres Strait Islanders, who are of Melanesian origin, have their own distinct cultures in the islands between Queensland and Papua New Guinea. Before British colonization in 1788, there were hundreds of distinct Aboriginal nations across the continent.