Australia: The Land Where Time Began

A biography of the Australian continent 

Allen's Cave

Allen's Cave is near Eucla, about 80 km west of Koonalda Cave, in South Australia. After the first occupation of the cave there was a break when the cave was apparently abandoned, between 17,500 and 15,000 years ago. This coincided with a period of increased aridity and the accompanying sealevel fall that caused the coast to retreat about 160 km further south. The Eucla-Koonalda region became a treeless plain. The estimated average annual rainfall at this time was about 160-180 mm. Allen's Cave was mostly abandoned during this time. Between 22,000 and 15,000 BP there was intermittent use of Koonalda Cave. It assumed the people of the area moved south to follow the coastline, probably living on the exposed plain. The sea rose again about 12,000 years ago.  

Sources & Further reading