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Aboriginal Australians are the world’s oldest First Nations people, having arrived in Australia at least 50,000 years ago. Their journey even predates the settlement of the Americas by over 20,000 years.
Indigenous Australians have always asserted their presence in Australia since the beginning. Scientific evidence aligns with their oral traditions and proves that their lineage traces back tens of thousands of years. This makes them one of the earliest groups of modern humans to settle a new land.
The ancestors of Aboriginal Australians were part of an early migratory wave that left Africa around 70,000 years ago. They traveled through the Middle East, India, and Southeast Asia, but did not follow the path of those who would later settle in Europe.
Homo sapiens evolved in Africa around 300,000 years ago. While earlier hominid species like Homo erectus and Neanderthals left Africa much earlier, it was Homo sapiens that would go on to successfully populate the rest of the world.
For at least 50,000 years, Aboriginal Australians have called this land home. Their journey, resilience, and deep cultural roots can be considered some of humanity’s greatest achievements.
Sources: (TheCollector) (Britannica)
See also: Fascinating facts about indigenous cultures around the world
These early migrants traveled across Asia, moving through India and China. Thanks to lower sea levels at the time, they could make most of this journey over land. But once they reached the Southeast Asian coast, they faced an entirely new challenge: the sea.
DNA evidence reveals that the ancestors of Aboriginal Australians had contact with Neanderthals while traversing Asia. This is reflected in their genome, which contains about 2.5% Neanderthal DNA, proving that interbreeding occurred before they reached their final destination.
This sea crossing was attempted at least 30,000 years before the first people crossed the Bering Land Bridge into the Americas. Their bravery and ingenuity place them among the first maritime explorers in human history.
There is no surviving evidence of the exact types of boats they used. But modern Aboriginal Australians use dugout canoes and bark canoes. It is possible that their ancestors may have used similar, though more primitive, watercraft.
Dugout canoes, used for open water travel, were carved from a single log and propelled by sails and wooden paddles. Bark canoes, sewn together with rope and sealed with resin, were better suited for river navigation. The first Australians may have relied on rafts or early versions of these boats.
Scholars estimate that it took at least four to seven days for these early settlers to make the treacherous journey across the sea. They likely had to contend with strong currents, unpredictable weather, and the constant risk of getting lost.
Some researchers suggest that humans arrived in Australia as early as 65,000 years ago, based on findings at the Madjedbebe rock shelter in Arnhem Land. However, this dating is debated, with most evidence supporting a more widely accepted arrival of around 50,000 years ago.
Unlike the early settlers of Australia, Polynesians had catamarans, outrigger boats, and crab claw sails, which allowed them to travel vast distances. This innovation set them apart as some of the greatest navigators in history.
Melanesia is a subregion in the Pacific Ocean that stretches from New Guinea, across the Solomon Islands, and toward Fiji. Torres Strait Islanders are descendants of this area, and so they are genetically distinct from Aboriginal Australians.
A 2017 DNA study shows that after arriving, Aboriginal Australians spread quickly across the continent. Within about a thousand years, groups had traveled along the coasts and settled throughout the land, reaching every corner of Australia.
For around 40,000 years, Indigenous Australians had little contact with the people of New Guinea, despite their lands being separated by only a small body of water for the last 10,000 years. This separation of approximately 980 miles (1500 km) contributed to distinct genetic and cultural differences.
From the Melanesian islands, skilled seafarers ventured further east into the Pacific. They had little contact with mainland Australia, but they laid the groundwork for later Polynesian expansion across the vast Pacific Ocean.
By 1000–900 BCE, Polynesians (descended from Melanesians) began their own migration across the Pacific. Using advanced maritime technology, they settled islands like Tonga, Samoa, and eventually distant lands like Hawaii.
With a continuous cultural history stretching back at least 50,000 years, Indigenous Australians hold the record for the world’s longest unbroken cultural tradition. Their stories, art, and knowledge continue to be passed down through generations.
Ancient rock carvings and paintings throughout Australia, some over 40,000 years old, provide insight into Indigenous Australian history. These artworks are among the oldest known human creations.
The arrival of humans coincided with the extinction of Australia’s megafauna, such as giant kangaroos and marsupial lions, around 42,000 years ago. Climate change played a role, but human activity (including hunting and fire management) likely contributed to their decline.
When Europeans arrived in Australia in 1788, Aboriginal Australians had already lived there for tens of thousands of years. Their way of life was drastically disrupted by colonization, and this ultimately led to devastating consequences.
Aboriginal Australians adapted to Australia’s unique environment and developed a deep connection to the land, which allowed them to thrive for tens of thousands of years without depleting their resources.
Unlike other parts of the world where migration waves led people to intermingle, Aboriginal Australians remained relatively isolated in distinct groups. Once they settled in a region, they largely stayed there, which led to the development of hundreds of different languages.
Evidence suggests that Homo sapiens attempted to leave Africa as early as 200,000 years ago. But these initial migrations did not establish permanent populations. Only later waves, particularly those occurring around 70,000 years ago, would lead to lasting human expansion.
The ancestors of Torres Strait Islanders traveled west and arrived at the islands less than 10,000 years ago, originating from the Melanesian islands. Their migration patterns link them more closely to Polynesians than to Aboriginal Australians.
Around 50,000 to 60,000 years ago, these ancient travelers reached the edge of Asia in modern-day Indonesia. At the time, sea levels were lower, and Australia (along with New Guinea and Tasmania) was part of one supercontinent. To reach this new land, they had to cross dangerous waters with no certainty of what lay ahead.
Interestingly, Indigenous Australians include both Aboriginal Australians and islanders from the Torres Strait to the north of the continent, but their origins differ. Torres Strait Islanders are more closely related to the indigenous inhabitants of an area called Melanesia.
The story of how Aboriginal Australians first arrived on the continent is one of the greatest journeys in human history. Long before the Americas were settled (and even before many parts of Europe saw permanent human habitation), the ancestors of today’s First Nations Australians embarked on an extraordinary migration that would see them cross vast and unfamiliar landscapes, encounter new environments, and ultimately make one of the earliest known sea crossings.
Their arrival in Australia marked the beginning of a deep and enduring connection to the land, a connection that has lasted for tens of thousands of years. But how did they make this perilous journey? What obstacles did they overcome? And what does modern science have to say about their migration? Click through this gallery to find out.
Before European contact, Indigenous Australians numbered between 300,000 and 950,000. Colonization brought war, disease, and displacement, which decimated their population. Today, they make up only about 3% of Australia’s population.
The reason why Indigenous Australian groups remained largely separate was because they lived as hunter-gatherers, avoiding the pressures of agriculture that typically drive population expansion and migration.
How did Aboriginal Australians reach Australia 50,000 years ago?
The untold story of the world’s oldest living culture
LIFESTYLE History
The story of how Aboriginal Australians first arrived on the continent is one of the greatest journeys in human history. Long before the Americas were settled (and even before many parts of Europe saw permanent human habitation), the ancestors of today’s First Nations Australians embarked on an extraordinary migration that would see them cross vast and unfamiliar landscapes, encounter new environments, and ultimately make one of the earliest known sea crossings.
Their arrival in Australia marked the beginning of a deep and enduring connection to the land, a connection that has lasted for tens of thousands of years. But how did they make this perilous journey? What obstacles did they overcome? And what does modern science have to say about their migration? Click through this gallery to find out.