THE WYRIE SWAMP BOOMERANGhttp://www.samuseum.sa.gov.au/gallery/aacg/speakingland/story10/10_module.htm

In 1973, some of the world's oldest wooden artefacts were excavated by the archaeologist, Roger Luebbers, from a peat bog at Wyrie Swamp in South Australia.

In the early 1970s, a local worker had alerted Luebbers that he occasionally found Aboriginal artefacts in the peat that he dug in a quarry site south of Millicent, south east of South Australia. The name, Wyrie Swamp, is thought to derive from a local Aboriginal word, 'waiirri', meaning 'the sky'.

Among the finds were three complete boomerangs - the oldest known examples of boomerangs in the whole country. They were made from wood of the drooping sheoak ('Casuarina stricta'). Luebbers believes that they lay perfectly preserved at the bottom of the ancient swamp for at least 9,000 years, and possibly for as long as 10,200 years.

A fragment of a fourth boomerang from Wyrie Swamp has been identified as being made from the root of the drooping sheoak. To prevent these wooden objects from falling apart when exposed to the air, archaeologists have treated them with polyethyleneglycol and then had them freeze dried.

Other objects found include tools made from chert (a type of flint) and chipping debris associated with a campsite encampment, a simple short spear, at least two types of digging stick, and a barbed javelin fragment carved from a single piece of wood.

In the 1980s, the Museum investigated the flight properties of one of the Wyrie Swamp boomerangs by making a copy with the aid of a computer. Although exhibiting some flight properties, the boomerang chosen was found to be unsuitable for flying long distances. It is therefore possible that at least one of the boomerangs was a toy.

Boomerangs that have been made in the lower south east region of South Australia since European settlement look remarkably like those that came from the depths of Wyrie Swamp. Lindsay Wilson made this boomerang at his home in Millicent in 1991. He was an Aboriginal man with connections to the Ngarrindjeri and Moandik people who lived in the region when Europeans first arrived. In his youth, such people as Clarence Long had taught Wilson how to make artefacts. He preferred the timber of the drooping sheoak, the same wood used at least 9,000 years ago to make the Wyrie Swamp examples. The origins of the boomerang will never be known, but it is clear that Aboriginal people were using them by the

Luebbers at Wyrie Swamp.

Complete Boomerang

Chert stone implements found in association with an Aboriginal campsite.

Recently made boomerang from Millicent, South Australia

end of the Pleistocene Epoch (2,000,000 to 10,000 years ago). © 2000 South Australian Museum

THE WYRIE SWAMP BOOMERANGRead through the fact sheet about the Wyrie Swamp Boomerang.

Take notes below of what is the most important information:

WHO

WHAT

WHEN

WHERE

WHY

HOW

Explain where the name ‘Wyrie Swamp’ comes from.

Describe what was discovered in Wyrie Swamp.

Explain how it managed to survive so long.

Explain why, in your opinion, this discovery is so important.

INDIGENOUS HISTORY TIMELINE CHALLENGE:In Pairs or Threes, you must create an accurately scaled timeline which can encompass the following dates:

1. Australian Aboriginals arrive in Australia from Africa (via Asia)

Before 50,000 c.BCE

2. Lake Mungo artefacts 40,000 c.BCE

3. Burrup Rock Art 30,000 c.BCE

4. Wyrie Swamp Boomerang 10,000 c.BCE

5. Dugout canoes used around the coast c.2800 BCE

6. The Dingo comes to Australia from Asia c.2000 BCE

7. First European ship (a Portguese ship) sails past Papua New Guinea and Australia

1606 CE

8. Abel Tasman ‘discovers’ Tasmania and the North Coast

1642-1644 CE

9. William Dampier lands on the North-West coast (North WA)

1688 CE

10. Captain Cook sails up the East Coast 1700 CE

11. First European settlement 1788 CE

12. Federation: Australia becomes a country 1901 CE

13. Today: 2014 CE

You and your group must decide how to present this timeline: Will you do it on paper? Will you use string and labels? Remember that CE = Common Era (AD) and that BCE = Before Common Era (BC).

Figure out your scale. Remember you need to cover a scale of 50,000 years! That means if you have a scale of 1000 years = 1cm, your timeline will be at least a metre long!

Suggested scales:

1000 years = 1 cm (Max length 1 metre) 1000 years = 2 cm (Max length 2 metres)

INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIAN LANGUAGES AND PEOPLES OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Nation Approximate Region

Adnyamathanha Flinders Ranges

Arabana Region around Lake Eyre

Buandig Limestone Coast

Dieri South Australian desert areas

Kaurna Adelaide Plains

Kokatha Far north near Roxby Downs

Maralinga Tjarutja

Remote western areas of South Australia

Narungga Yorke Peninsula

Ngadjuri North Adelaide, Gawler area

Ngarrindjeri Lower Murray River and Coorong

Pitjantjatjara Western desert

Wirangu West Coast

Yankunytjatjara Western Desert