remains are scattered amongst the
wind-blown dunes, strange creatures,
all extinct. Megafauna, giant marsu-
pials, long since vanished from the
Australian continent.
Within sight bones are scattered
about, the wind revealing their se-
crets. A jaw bone here, a hip over
there. These are relatives of Austra-
lia’s native animals, some still in exis-
tence, most all but extinct in this area.
Bilby’s, hairy nosed wombats, walla-
bies, once roamed the area, now all
gone. Human’s, climate change, both
responsible for their disappearance.
Nothing sinister, just the natural prog-
ress of the natural world.
Humans! They’re here too. In abun-
dance, watching, hiding, occasionally
appearing, humans are here. Human
remains have been found nearby, in
plentiful amounts, at least 110 differ-
TRAVERSE 56
ent people covering many millennia.
Some more famous than others, some
making this place one of the most sig-
nificant human history locations any-
where on earth. A significant place,
listed on the World Heritage Register,
a place so significant it could rewrite
history.
This is Lake Mungo.
Mungo forms part of the Willandra
Lakes World Heritage Area, one of the