First humans to reach Australia likely island-hopped to New Guinea then walked – study

Researchers map likeliest route using least-cost calculations, line-of-sight sailing and likely sea levels

The first people to arrive in Australia are likely to have sailed east from Borneo to Sulawesi and island-hopped to New Guinea, according to research.

A study led by Australian National University PhD candidate Shimona Kealy and published in the Journal of Human Evolution has modelled the most likely route from southeast Asia to the Australian mainland based on which pathway would have required the least expenditure of energy and resources.