Ancient Cultures - Wentworth to Lake Mungo

11th May 2014

We left the caravan in Wentworth and travelled the 160kms or so to Lake Mungo National Park which was partly on unsealed sand roads.  Fortunately there had been no rain for a few days and the road was in good condition.

Lake Mungo is the highest lake in the ancient Willandra Lakes system which flowed from the Willandra Creek near Wilcannia.  Being the highest lake in the system it was the last to fill and the first to drain and therefore was a closed system, which meant that as it dried out for the final time the water became salty.

Guided walk on the lunette

Up until around 15,000 years ago the lake levels varied between 8 and 15 metres and were teeming with fish.  The surrounding sand dunes were covered in lush forests which supported many animals including now extinct mega fauna.  Also present were humans, the oldest remains of which have been dated at around 42,000 years old.  The oldest human cremation anywhere in the world have been found in Lake Mungo.

The prevailing winds are from the west, so during the time the lakes were full there was a gradual build up of crescent shaped sand dunes on the eastern shore of the lake system. This is known as a lunette and the one at Mungo is known as the 'walls of China'.  Once the lake had dried the lake bed contained a mixture of silt and clay which blew onto the dunes providing a hard protective crust.  This is known as the Zanci layer and together with two earlier layers provides an excellent means of dating archaeological finds.  Vegetation grew on this Zanci layer and prevented erosion, that is until the arrival of pastoralists who grazed sheep on the land.  This quickly broke down the outer crust and caused erosion. The sand dunes on the western shore of the lake are now eroding very fast and revealing the evidence of life dating back at least 42,000 years including human remains, animal and marine life remains from fire hearths and complete skeletons from animals that have drowned when the waters rose rapidly.  Walking on the fragile lunette is only permitted with a guide and we went with an excellent Aboriginal guide who is passionate about her people's heritage.

The first human remains [Lady Mungo] were found and identified in the late 1960's.Fortunately by 1978 the sheep had been removed and the land taken into the care of the National Parks and Wildlife.  There is still a big problem in the area with rabbits and feral goats but native wildlife abounds and we saw large numbers of red and western grey kangaroos and herds of emus.

Mungo lake bed from the lunette

20,000 year old footprint

One if the most fascinating finds is human footprints dating to about 20,000 years ago.  They were made in wet sandy clay which dried in the sun and was then covered with windblown sand.
They are fragile so have been covered for their own protection but there are replicas at the visitor centre.  Fascinating especially the one legged man with an enormous right foot!

We spent the night in the old restored shearers quarters and had the whole place to ourselves.  So quiet and peaceful and a wonderful starry sky.  We lit a fire in the fireplace and toasted ourselves whilst eating dinner prepared in the very well equipped camp kitchen.

Shearers quarters