Pleistocene occupation in the south-east Queensland coastal region

An open site at Wallen Wallen Creek, North Stradbroke Island has revealed a deep (>=2.5 m) stratified archaeological deposit which yielded radiocarbon dates of Pleistocene age. These results are the first evidence of Pleistocene human occupation in south-east Queensland, and the first evidence of Pleistocene occupation of the Australian east coast, north of the Sydney region. The deposit suggests a continuous occupation throughout the Pleistocene, with a dramatic increase in occupation intensity during the late Holocene. Evidence for the continuous occupation of the nearcoastal zone during the Pleistocene makes this site unique in the archaeological record of east-coast Australia.