First Nations Australia: arrival, migration & deep time
HASS · Year 7
Name: ______________________Date: ____________
First Nations Australians have the oldest continuing cultures in the world, with a connection to this land stretching back at least 65,000 years — making Australia one of the longest continuously inhabited places on Earth. Historians and scientists study theories about how early humans migrated out of Africa and eventually reached Australia, likely travelling by sea across island chains during a period when sea levels were lower. Evidence for the causes and effects of this migration, and the routes taken across the Australian continent, comes from archaeology, geology, and — increasingly — from First Nations oral histories and traditional knowledge passed down over countless generations.
Example
Rock art, stone tools and shell middens (ancient rubbish heaps of shells) found at sites across Australia provide physical evidence of how long First Nations peoples have lived in, travelled through and used the land — some sites showing continuous use for tens of thousands of years.
Key terms
Migration:
The movement of people from one place to settle in another.
Archaeology:
The study of human history through excavating and analysing physical evidence, like tools and remains.
Deep time:
An enormous span of time, often tens of thousands of years or more.
Questions
1. First Nations Australians have:
The newest culture in the world
One of the oldest continuing cultures in the world
No connection to the land
A culture from another country
2. First Nations Australians' connection to Australia stretches back at least:
500 years
5,000 years
65,000 years
100 years
3. Migration means:
Staying in one place forever
Moving from one place to settle in another
A type of rock
A type of law
4. Archaeology is the study of:
Only modern events
Human history through physical evidence
Only future events
Weather patterns
5. Evidence for early migration to Australia includes:
Only modern photographs
Rock art, stone tools and shell middens
Nothing at all
Only written letters
6. A shell midden is:
A modern building
An ancient rubbish heap of shells
A type of pyramid
A modern road
7. "Deep time" refers to:
A single day
An enormous span of time, tens of thousands of years or more
One year
A type of clock
8. Theories about early human migration suggest people travelled to Australia:
By plane
By sea across island chains when sea levels were lower
Instantly
By an underground tunnel
9. Evidence about early First Nations migration comes from:
Only guesswork
Archaeology, geology and First Nations oral histories
Nothing at all
Only foreign records
10. Continuous use of a site for tens of thousands of years shown by archaeological evidence suggests:
A very recent arrival
A very long, ongoing connection to that place
No connection at all
A single visit only
11. Why might sea levels being lower in the past matter for migration theories?
It made land bridges or shorter sea crossings possible between landmasses
It made travel impossible
It has no relevance
It only affected modern travel
12. First Nations oral histories are increasingly recognised as:
Irrelevant to history
A valuable source of knowledge about the deep past
Always inaccurate
Unrelated to archaeology
13. Rock art found at ancient sites can provide evidence about:
Only recent history
Long-term human presence and activity at a site
Nothing useful
Only modern art styles
14. Studying migration theories and evidence mainly helps historians:
Ignore the past
Understand how and when people came to inhabit Australia
Avoid using evidence
Replace archaeology with guessing
15. Why is it significant that Australia's First Nations peoples are described as having the world's oldest continuing culture?
It reflects an unbroken connection to Country spanning tens of thousands of years, unmatched elsewhere
It means nothing significant
It only applies to recent history
It's the same as other cultures worldwide
16. Combining archaeological evidence with First Nations oral histories in historical research mainly helps:
Ignore one source in favour of the other
Build a fuller, more accurate picture of the deep past
Confuse historians unnecessarily
Replace the need for evidence entirely
17. Why might historians describe migration theories as evolving rather than fixed?
New archaeological finds and research can refine understanding of routes, timing and causes
Migration theories are guesses with no real basis
Theories never need revising
Only First Nations peoples can have theories
18. A shell midden with layers built up over thousands of years is valuable evidence because it:
Shows a snapshot of just one day
Shows sustained, long-term use of a place over a very long time
Proves nothing about history
Only reflects a modern event
19. Why is it important to consider multiple types of evidence (archaeological, geological, oral history) when studying deep history?
A single source alone may be incomplete; combining sources builds a more reliable picture
Only one type of evidence should ever be trusted
Multiple sources always contradict each other with no resolution
Evidence types are all identical
20. Understanding the deep history of First Nations migration and settlement mainly helps Australians today:
Ignore the past entirely
Appreciate the depth and continuity of the world's oldest living cultures
Focus only on recent history
Dismiss archaeological evidence
Answer key (parent copy)
1. One of the oldest continuing cultures in the world
2. 65,000 years
3. Moving from one place to settle in another
4. Human history through physical evidence
5. Rock art, stone tools and shell middens
6. An ancient rubbish heap of shells
7. An enormous span of time, tens of thousands of years or more
8. By sea across island chains when sea levels were lower
9. Archaeology, geology and First Nations oral histories
10. A very long, ongoing connection to that place
11. It made land bridges or shorter sea crossings possible between landmasses
12. A valuable source of knowledge about the deep past
13. Long-term human presence and activity at a site
14. Understand how and when people came to inhabit Australia
15. It reflects an unbroken connection to Country spanning tens of thousands of years, unmatched elsewhere
16. Build a fuller, more accurate picture of the deep past
17. New archaeological finds and research can refine understanding of routes, timing and causes
18. Shows sustained, long-term use of a place over a very long time
19. A single source alone may be incomplete; combining sources builds a more reliable picture
20. Appreciate the depth and continuity of the world's oldest living cultures