Point Ritchie is one of many significant Aboriginal sites across Victoria’s South West.
In particular it is evidence of human activity tens of thousands of years ago that has created considerable intrigue and academic interest in the site.
Deakin University’s John Sherwood explains:
“There are a number of shell deposits and old fireplaces from Aboriginal people that we know with some certainty go back beyond 35,000 years, in particular there is one shell deposit that could go back 80,000 years and if that’s the case it would be easily the oldest human site in Australia and would have significant implications for the migration of people across the planet.
“Modern humans evolved in African and it’s thought that something like 120,000 years ago to 80,000 years ago they began to migrate out of Africa and travel across Asia and to come to Australia they had to make a sea voyage and there has never been a time when sea level was so low that you could have walked into South-east Asia. There was always a sea gap that had to be crossed by a boat of some type and so the arrival of people in Australia marked the first known sea crossing by humans.
“They could have walked into Europe and they certainly could have walked into North America and then down to South America but to get to Australia you had to make a sea voyage. When that happened is a subject of intense debate and research. We are continually looking for sites in Australia that go back in time and push back that arrival date.”