This text explores how the first inhabitants reached Australia over 50,000 years ago. Using archaelogical evidence and aboriginal oral traditions, the book tells the history of these people. It examines the ways in which the Aborigines adapted to and modified their environment, and how their art and culture developed. This revised edition incorporates information on recent archaelogical discoveries. It features a revision of the chapters on Pleistocene rock art and the extinction of the megafauna.