Pleistocene occupation of Yellabidde Cave in the northern Swan Coastal Plain, southwestern Australia

Abstract

Evidence for human occupation of Western Australia’s northern Swan Coastal Plain derives mainly from Holocene coastal midden sites. Here, we present preliminary results from archaeological investigations at Yellabidde Cave, located 9 km inland from the present coast. Excavations in the limestone cave’s sandy floor deposit revealed cultural and palaeontological materials dating from c. 25,500 cal. BP to the 19th C. These provide the first evidence for Pleistocene occupation in the region, indicating that Yellabidde Cave was intermittently occupied throughout the late Pleistocene and Holocene, and reflecting dynamic human-environment relationships in present near-coastal to littoral environments.