A View from Kakadu: Sets of 20,000 year old footprints in the Willandra, western New South Wales

This chapter sets the scene for the earliest human arrivals in Australia by discussing the earliest art in northern Australia at Kakadu depicting our megafauna as a reflection of the early people. That includes my description of art that depicts a species of our extinct megafauna seemingly outlined on one of the art galleries to be found in the region. The chapter includes a description of the present environment and contrasts that with a picture of the environment 60–50,000 years ago under Ice Age conditions and reduced sea levels. It also describes possibilities for how the first movements of people into the continent took place and their direction of travel. There is an illustration of Aboriginal views from the region regarding how they began together with the altered geography of north Australia that once included Papua New Guinea.