Many anthropologists believe that exaggeration and Chinese whispers often distort oral histories so severely, they can no longer be reliable. Noted linguist Dr. Nick Reid, at the University of New England, has found that stories of Australian Aborigines however, are astoundingly accurate.

Oral folklore tells how the Great Barrier Reef once formed part of the coastline; generally consistent with scientific evidence of sea-level changes following the last ice age. Researchers now believe these stories may constitute some of the oldest accurate oral histories in the world, passing through some 300 generations over 10,000 years. Dr. Reid suggests the authenticity of these stories is reinforced because they are ‘based on observation’ and not tradition or folklore.

This ancient settlement, along with scientific evidence supporting the Aborigines history of the Great Barrier Reef forming part of the coastline, must rank as one of the oldest verifiable human stories known to man. It also changes our thinking about human existence and survival during the last ice age.