Pre-European coastal settlement and use of the sea: A view from Queensland

Abstract

We draw attention to important omissions in the chronology of Australian coastal occupation presented by Nicholson and Cane (1994) in their recent review of the subject. In the Queensland section of their review, Nicholson and Cane (1994:110-11) state that coastal settlement is confined to the last 2000 years in the Moreton Bay area, and to the last 1500 years for the remainder of the Queensland coast, with the exception of Princess Charlotte Bay, where occupation is dated to 4700 BP. For the Moreton Bay area, Nicholson and Cane (1994:111) make the erroneous claim that ‘no sites older than 2000 BP have been recorded.’ In fact, there are five reported coastal sites in this region (Hope Island, New Brisbane Airport, Sandstone Point, Toulkerrie and Wallen Wallen Creek) and two more immediately to the north (King’s Bore Sandblow, Teewah Beach 26) which predate 2000 BP (Fig. l, Table 1). These results have been published for some time and have been discussed extensively in the general literature (e.g. Lourandos 1993; McNiven 1992a, 1992b; Walters 1989, 1992a. 1992b).