Modern People Probably First Entered Australia

Question

Modern people probably first entered Australia
A) more than 100,000 years ago.
B) 40,000 years ago or a bit earlier.
C) a bit less than 5,000 years ago.
D) 500 years ago.

Accepted Answer

The accepted theory is that modern humans first arrived in Australia around 40,000 years ago, although there is some evidence to suggest it may have been earlier. Option A is incorrect as there is no concrete evidence to suggest humans arrived in Australia more than 100,000 years ago. Option C is incorrect as there is evidence of Aboriginal occupation of Australia dating back at least 60,000 years. Option D is incorrect as there is no evidence to suggest any modern group of people arrived in Australia only 500 years ago.