Cold Comfort: Australia’s Oldest Occupied Ice Age Cave Found at High Elevation in Blue Mountains

Sydney, 17 June, 2025: Archaeologists from the Australian Museum, the University of Sydney and the Australian National University in collaboration with First Nations community members who hold cultural connections with the Blue Mountains have unearthed 693 stone artefacts dating from the last ice age to the recent past. Found in an ancient Blue Mountains cave, known as Dargan Shelter, this new evidence provides definitive proof of repeated occupation in this once frozen high-altitude landscape. The research, funded by the Australian Museum Foundation, is published today in Nature Human Behaviour.

Dating back 20,000 years, when the upper reaches of the Blue Mountains were treeless and seasonally frozen over, Dargan Shelter at 1073m elevation is believed to be the oldest occupied high-altitude landscape in Australia. Until now, researchers thought the Australian high country was too difficult to occupy during the last ice age. However, the new archaeological results provide the first evidence of repeated human activity and adaption to periglacial environments on the Australian continent.

Gomeroi knowledge holder and First Nations Mentor in archaeology at the University of Sydney, Wayne Brennan, who is a rock art specialist, initiated the research to bring scientists and community together to explore the cultural history of the Blue Mountains to improve conservation outcomes for this important cultural landscape.

Brennan and lead author, Dr Amy Mosig Way, who holds a joint position as archaeologist, Australian Museum and academic lecturer from the Discipline of Archaeology, University of Sydney, worked closely with First Nations members from the Dharug, Wiradjuri, Dharawal, Gomeroi, Wonnarua, and Ngunnawal groups, who hold traditional connections to this region.

Dr Way said the research indicates that First Nations’ ancestors were able to navigate and occupy high-altitude periglacial environments.

“This new evidence now aligns Australia with global data showing that glacial landscapes were not necessarily natural barriers to early human movement and occupation,” Dr Way said

“Until now, we thought the Australian high country was too difficult to occupy during the last ice age. Yet, despite the harsh conditions, our research demonstrates people were moving in and through this high elevation landscape, which is approximately 400m above the treeline,” Dr Way said.

Second author, Professor Philip Piper, School of Archaeology and Anthropology, Australian National University said

the excavations uncovered an incredible layer of evidence of human activity including hearth features.

“It was the excellent state of preservation that enabled us to construct such a robust chronology for Dargan Cave spanning the last 20,000 years,” Professor Piper said.

First Nations custodians, authors on the research paper and proud Dharug women, Leanne Watson Redpath and Erin Wilkins explained that their communities have lived in the Blue Mountains for thousands of years.

“Our people have walked, lived and thrived in the Blue Mountains for thousands of years and we knew the cave was there. It is not only a tangible connection to our ancestors who used it as a meeting place for sharing, storytelling and survival, but is a part of our cultural identity. We need to respect and protect our heritage for the benefit of all Australians,” Watson Redpath explained.

“While there’s no certain way of identifying which groups accessed the mountains in the deep past, it is likely that multiple groups were connected to this country. Today, Dargan Shelter is considered by local custodians to represent a family space of high cultural significance,” Wilkins added.

“The Blue Mountains is a UNESCO World Heritage listed site for the protection of flora and fauna but there are no safeguards for our cultural heritage. We hope that by combining our traditional knowledge with scientific research, we can protect these invaluable storehouses of our history for generations to come,” Brennan added.

Dr Way said the study builds on research conducted by Australian Museum archaeologists, beginning with Frederick McCarthy in 1935, Professor Paul Taçon and most recently Dr Val Attenbrow and augments previous findings and collections within the Australian

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MEDIA NOTE

• Research paper, Photos and footage here
• Please acknowledge members from the Dharug, Wiradjuri, Gomeroi, Darkinjung, Dharawal, Wonnarua, Guidinger groups, who hold traditional connections to this region.
• Declaration: This research was funded by the Australian Museum Foundation

INTERVIEWS

• Dr Amy Mosig Way, research archaeologist from the Discipline of Archaeology at the University of Sydney and Australian Museum
• Wayne Brennan, Gomeroi knowledge holder and First Nations Mentor in Archaeology at the University of Sydney who is a rock art specialist
• Leanne Watson Redpath, Dharug knowledge holder, Erin Wilkins, Dharug knowledge holder

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• Australian Museum | media@australian.museum
• University of Sydney |Elissa Blake | elissa.blake@sydney.edu.au | 0408 565 604. (Outside of work hours, please call +61 2 8627 0246 directs to a mobile number, or email media.office@sydney.edu.au.)

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ABOUT DHARUG COUNTRY

Dharug clan lands embrace the land, rivers and sea. From the Blue Mountains to the ocean, from the Hawkesbury in the North, and as far as Appin in the South. The ancestors of Darug, Darkinyung and Gundungurra people have lived in this region for around 50,000 years. Their histories, cultures and spiritualties are inseparable from their river Country.