Nara Inlet 1: coastal resource use and the Holocene marine transgression in the Whitsunday Islands, central Queensland

Abstract

AbstractAn excavation of a large rockshelter in Nara Inlet, Hook Island, on the central Queensland coast has revealed archaeological evidence for early Holocene marine resource use dating from before 8150 BP. It is argued here that the site demonstrates continuous use of marine resources from the time of its initial occupation, at the start of the Holocene. Along with other recent evidence (Allen et al. 1989, O'Connor 1989, Morse 1988) this site represents clear evidence of a continuous marine sequence spanning the Holocene. The continued use of marine resources including mangrove species throughout the Holocene argues against a time lag in the occupation of coastal sites and questions the effects of marine transgression on human populations and marine resources. Major changes in the archaeological record at Nara Inlet 1 do not coincide with the major environmental changes documented for the Holocene period in this area and it is considered that social explanations for change may offer a more fruitful interpretation.