Arrival· Where Sapiens lives
Sahul (Australia and New Guinea)
47 ka
About 47,000 years ago, people crossed the sea to reach Australia and New Guinea. At the time, the two formed a single continent, Sahul.
During glacial periods, ice sheets held part of the oceans' water. Sea level fell as a result. Dry land then joined Australia to New Guinea. Even so, the sea always separated Sahul from Asia.
What the evidence shows
O'Connell and Allen (2015) reviewed the archaeological sites of Sahul. They date its first occupation to about 47,000 years ago. In their view, the evidence for an earlier arrival is weak. They add that the first inhabitants remained few for many millennia. Their numbers were perhaps a hundredth of those at the time of European contact. Like all peoples living outside Africa, Aboriginal Australians and Papuans carry Neanderthal DNA. This DNA comes from a single episode of interbreeding with Neanderthals. Sümer and colleagues (2024) date this episode to between 49,000 and 45,000 years ago. Allen and O'Connell (2025) conclude that the first inhabitants of Sahul arrived there after this interbreeding. In their view, this finding offers no support for a human presence 65,000 years ago.
Dating & uncertainty
Under the long chronology, the first people reached Sahul about 65,000 to 60,000 years ago. Under the short chronology, they arrived between 51,000 and 47,000 years ago. Mitochondria are small structures in the cell. They have their own DNA, which only the mother passes on. Gandini and colleagues (2025) studied this DNA in 2,456 people. Their results support the long chronology. Madjedbebe is a rock shelter in northern Australia. Clarkson and colleagues (2017) date its first human occupation to about 65,000 years ago. Williams and colleagues (2020) reject this date. In their view, termites may have carried objects down into older sediment. On the timeline, people reach Sahul about 47,000 years ago, at the younger end of the short chronology. For this date to be right, the interbreeding with Neanderthals must have taken place before 47,000 years ago.