Cuddie+Springs

Cuddie Springs is an ancient lake bed in the semi-arid zone of central northern New South Wales. Fossils dating from the Pleistocene are found in a claypan in the centre of the lake floor.

Where is Cuddie Springs?
Cuddie Springs is an ancient lake bed in the semi-arid zone of central northern New South Wales (146° E, 31° S). Fossils dating from the Pleistocene are found in a claypan in the centre of the lake floor. The claypan fills with water after local rainstorms and may take months to dry. However, the wet soils are responsible for the survival of the bones over a long period of time.



Why is Cuddie Springs important?
A significant archaeological discovery was made in one of the lower levels at the Cuddie Springs site. Wedged between the jaw of a wombat-shaped //Diprotodon// and the big leg bone of a big bird called //Genyornis// was a small flaked stone tool possibly an arrow or scraper. The bones and stone tool were left in a swampy area between 30,000 and 35,000 years ago. Close studies of the stone tool have shown that it was probably used for butchering it has blood traces on it and wear patterns are visible on the used edges.

Fossil time period: Cuddie Springs
During the Pleistocene Epoch (1.6 million 10,000 years ago), Australia was very close to its present global position. Sea levels fell, creating temporary land bridges between mainland Australia and Tasmania in the south, and Australia and New Guinea in the north.

Cuddie Springs fossils
The fossil bones of megafauna were first discovered in the late 1870s when a well was sunk in the centre of the claypan. The Australian Museum launched excavations in 1933 and while many bones were found, there was no report of any archaeology. The first clues to a human presence at Cuddie Springs were in 1991 when researchers from the University of New South Wales encountered numerous stone tools during the collection of soil samples for environmental studies. The discovery of stone tools in a known fossil site presented the possibility that humans and Megafauna may have co-existed on the Australian continent.

[|//Diprotodon optatum//]The massive //Diprotodon optatum//, from the Pleistocene of Australia, was the largest marsupial known and the last of the extinct, herbivorous diprotodontids. //Diprotodon// was the first fossil mammal named from Australia (Owen 1838) and one of the most well known of the megafauna. It was widespread across Australia when the first indigenous people arrived, co-existing with them for thousands of years before becoming extinct about 25,000 years ago.

//Genyornis newtoni// was the last of the large, flightless mihirungs ('thunder birds') endemic to Australia. It was a heavily built bird over 2 metres tall, with tiny wings and massive hind legs. Fossils of //Genyornis// have been found in association with human artifacts, including cave paintings and carved footprints, and //Genyornis// must have co-existed with humans for a considerable amount of time (at least 15,000 years).
 * [| //Genyornis newtoni//]