Australia formed around 60,000 years ago when lower sea levels connected Australia, New Guinea, and Tasmania into a single landmass called Sahul. The first humans arrived around this time, having traveled from Southeast Asia. Later, rising sea levels separated the landmasses into the distinct continents seen today. The original inhabitants of Australia were the Aboriginal Australians, who had lived in small hunter-gatherer groups for thousands of years in various environments across the continent before the arrival of Europeans in the 1700s.

2. Formation of Australia
 Sixty thousand years ago, there
was an Ice Age on Earth.
 Much of the world’s water was
frozen in glaciers. This made the
sea level drop.
 The land that was under water
eventually became exposed.
 Australia, New Guinea, and
Tasmania all formed one huge land
mass called Sahul.

3.  The first people came to Australia
at this time.
 They came from Southeast Asia.
 They traveled in boats from island
to island.

4.  Higher water cut off Australia from
New Guinea and Tasmania.
 They became three
different islands. Miles of
ocean separated them.
 The residents had no
contact with the rest of
the world for thousands
of years.

5. The Aborigines
are the Australian
natives that have
been living there
for thousands of
years before the
first Europeans
came to Australia
in the 1700s.

6. The Australian Aborigine
The first people to live in
Australia are called
Australian Aborigines.
The first Aborigines lived on
the coast.

7. Inner Australia was a huge
desert.  On the
coast, there
were more
plants growing.
 There were
also more
animals to hunt
& fresh water.

8. Aborigines lived in small
groups.
They were larger in the
coastal areas and smaller in
the interior.

9. There were strict rules on
how groups interacted.
However, there was no
specific leader in the
group.
All members were equal.

10.  There may have been about 500
groups of Aborigines
and more than
200 languages.
 Aborigines were
hunter-gathers.

11. What they ate depended
on where they lived.
Different food was
available on different
parts of the island.

12. Aborigines never grew their
own food.
Instead, they survived on
whatever grew naturally by
understanding how to live in
different natural
environments.

13. Trade
Australian Aborigines also
traded with one another.
Trade diversifies the type of
goods available.

14. Trade also kept different
groups of Aborigines
connected to one another.
This contact helped keep
the culture of different
groups similar.

15. CORE BELIEF SYSTEM
 “Dreamtime” is at the center of the Aborigines
belief system and describes the mystical time
when the Aboriginal people established their
world.
 “Dreamtime” explains the origins of the people
and of the land. Dreamtime includes a story of
how things have happened, how the universe
came to be, how humans were created, and
how the Creator intended for humans to function
in this world

16. Shelter
 Aboriginal people built simple shelters that
changed season to season.
 Trees were chosen as a primary resource
because they could provide natural
windbreaks and shade. The trunks also
provided sturdy material.
 Walls of the shelters were often decorated by
finger painting.

18. History- European Settlement
Captain James Cook discovered
Australia in 1770. He was sent
to discover the huge land that
many people believed was south
of the equator. He landed south
of present day Sydney in New
South Wales. He claimed this
part of the land for the King of
England.

19. European Settlement (cont’d)
 Europeans stole Aboriginal land and killed thousands of
Aborigines. They also brought new diseases with them
Which killed off a lot of the Aboriginal population.
 In 1770, there were about 300,000 Aborigines.
Now, there are 120,000. It is becoming harder and
harder for Aborigines to continue their traditional way to
live.
 During the early 1900’s the white Australian government
enacted and enforced removal policies that continues to
affect the Aborigines today…