2016 South West Quaternary Lecture - Prof. Patrick Moss: Australian 'Sweet Spots' - Quaternary Refugia of coastal eastern Australia

Evidence has emerged from recent palaeoecological research along the modern eastern Australia coastal margin that there may have been several ‘sweet spots’ or refuge areas for key ecosystems and human occupation during the last glacial period. Rather than drying out these locations maintained extensive water resources (i.e. lacustrine and swamp systems) and/or forested landscape through the Late Quaternary period and beyond. This presentation will discuss some key palaeoecological records from the Humid Tropics of north-eastern Australia (i.e. long term tropical rainforest refuge); South East Queensland, particularly North Stradbroke Island and Fraser Islands (records extending to the LGM and beyond); and eastern Tasmania (a record extending into the last glacial maximum 18,000 years ago). Potential key climatic drivers behind the maintenance of these ‘sweet spots’ will be discussed, as will the potential implications for the Australian archaeological record and the future prospects for these important areas during the Anthropocene.