The occupation of arid coastlines during the terminal Pleistocene of Australia

Greater Australia is the most arid landmass to have been colonised by modem humans and when settled probably had an extensive arid coastline. Given that founding groups were coastally adapted and had more than casual maritime capabilities (cf. Gosden 1993) it is surprising that, until recently, the nature of prehistoric economies on arid Pleistocene coastlines has received little attention (Morse 1994; Nicholson and Cane 1991; O’Connor and Veth 1993). This neglect has now changed with the discovery of early evidence from northwest Australia for human occupation of arid coastlines from Shark Bay through to the southwest Kimberley (Fig. 1). ...