In a groundbreaking archaeological discovery that redefines our understanding of human adaptation during the last Ice Age, researchers have unearthed compelling evidence of early high-elevation occupation in Australia’s Blue Mountains. This revelation challenges long-held assumptions about the limitations posed by harsh, frozen landscapes on prehistoric human populations and opens an unprecedented window into the resilience and ingenuity of First Nations peoples tens of thousands of years ago.
The focal point of this research is the Dargan Shelter, an ancient limestone cave nestled at a remarkable altitude of 1,073 meters above sea level. Situated in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, this site represents the highest known Pleistocene human habitation spot in Australia, dating back approximately 20,000 years. Until now, the prevailing consensus within archaeological and paleoenvironmental circles suggested that the Australian highlands were largely inhospitable during glacial maxima, due to extreme cold, seasonal frost, and limited vegetation cover.
Extensive excavations at Dargan Shelter, conducted through a collaborative effort involving the Australian Museum, the University of Sydney, and the Australian National University, have revealed a staggering assemblage of 693 stone artifacts. These artifacts, consisting primarily of finely crafted cutting and scraping tools, as well as a sandstone grinding slab that likely functioned in the manufacture of wooden implements such as needles, awls, or spear points, underscore a sophisticated technological tradition adept at navigating and exploiting a challenging periglacial environment.
The stratigraphic context of the finds is particularly notable, as the artifacts were retrieved from frozen sediment layers, enabling precise dating and enhanced preservation. The exceptional state of the site’s depositional sequences, including in situ hearth features, facilitated the construction of a robust, continuous chronology spanning the last 20,000 years. Such clarity in stratigraphy offers irrefutable proof that human groups repeatedly occupied this elevated landscape throughout the late Pleistocene, engaging in specialized activities well-adapted to the austere climatic conditions.
Integral to this research is the close collaboration with First Nations communities, whose ancestral ties to the Blue Mountains have enriched scientific interpretations and fostered ethical stewardship of the site. Gomeroi knowledge holder and First Nations mentor Wayne Brennan played a pivotal role in bridging scientific inquiry with Indigenous cultural knowledge, emphasizing the cave’s importance as a longstanding meeting place for storytelling, survival, and cultural exchange among Dharug, Wiradjuri, Dharawal, Gomeroi, Wonnarua, and Ngunnawal peoples.
Dr. Amy Mosig Way, lead author and archaeologist at the Australian Museum and University of Sydney, highlights that these findings align Australia with global patterns demonstrating early human capacity to inhabit glaciated and periglacial landscapes. Contrary to former beliefs that Ice Age cold climates posed insurmountable natural barriers, the evidence from Dargan Shelter confirms that First Nations ancestors not only traversed but actively adapted to and thrived in this high-altitude environment around 400 meters above the Ice Age treeline.
The broader significance of this discovery extends into the realms of archaeology, anthropology, and climate science, as it provides insight into human responses to paleoclimatic fluctuations during the Last Glacial Maximum. It foregrounds human behavioral plasticity, showing that technological innovation and cultural practices enabled sustained occupation amid cold, resource-scarce conditions. This challenges previous models which underestimated human mobility and adaptability in the southern hemisphere’s mountainous regions.
Furthermore, the research contributes to a deeper understanding of how Indigenous Australians managed their environments and cultural landscapes over millennia. The continuous occupation and repeated use of Dargan Shelter articulate a nuanced narrative of survival strategies, resource management, and social organization, shedding light on cultural identities intimately connected to the land, far beyond sedentary lowland settlements previously emphasized in Australian prehistory.
The study also underscores the crucial role of integrating Indigenous expertise with archaeological methods. The engagement of First Nations custodians as co-authors and collaborators not only honors their living cultural heritage but enhances conservation approaches, striving to safeguard culturally significant sites in ways that respect and uphold Indigenous sovereignty and knowledge systems.
From a methodological perspective, this project employed rigorous observational techniques combined with stratigraphic analysis, lithic technology assessments, and radiocarbon dating, situating Dargan Shelter within the global scientific dialogues on Ice Age archaeology. The interdisciplinary approach enriches the interpretation of periglacial occupation patterns, facilitating advances in heritage management and archaeological pedagogy, especially through hands-on fieldwork involving university students under the guidance of experienced archaeologists and First Nations mentors.
The Dargan Shelter findings ultimately invite a reassessment of Australia’s prehistoric human footprint, urging scientists and the public alike to rethink the continent’s Ice Age landscapes not as barren or infeasible places, but as dynamic arenas of human innovation and cultural endurance. This discovery commands a reconsideration of global human dispersal narratives and underscores the importance of mountain regions in shaping human histories, a research horizon ripe for further exploration.
As modern Australia grapples with questions of heritage preservation, the revelations from Dargan Shelter highlight pressing needs to protect Indigenous cultural sites within world heritage frameworks. While the Blue Mountains are globally recognized for their ecological significance, this study spotlights the absence of equivalent protections for invaluable archaeological and Indigenous cultural heritage. The synergistic union of traditional knowledge and scientific inquiry exemplified by this research advocates strongly for expanded cultural heritage policies and community-led conservation efforts.
The implications of these findings are profound, extending into contemporary understandings of human resilience in the face of climate challenges. By illuminating the deep-time narrative of human occupancy in extreme environments, the research not only enriches archaeological theory but resonates with current discourses on environmental change, adaptation, and identity, reinforcing the vital connections between past and present.
Subject of Research: People
Article Title: The earliest evidence of high-elevation ice age occupation in Australia
News Publication Date: 16-Jun-2025
Web References:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-025-02180-y
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41562-025-02180-y
References:
Mosig Way, A., Brennan, W., Piper, P., et al. (2025). The earliest evidence of high-elevation ice age occupation in Australia. Nature Human Behaviour. DOI: 10.1038/s41562-025-02180-y
Image Credits: University of Sydney
Keywords: Blue Mountains archaeology, high-elevation occupation, Ice Age Australia, First Nations heritage, periglacial environments, Dargan Shelter, Pleistocene artifacts, Indigenous collaboration, ancient human adaptation, stone tool technology
