The discovery of Mungo Man

On 26 February 1974, geologist Dr Jim Bowler discovered a 42,000-year-old skeleton in New South Wales, Australia.

The remains were nicknamed Mungo Man, as they were found in Lake Mungo.

The discovery rewrote Australia's history, it proved Aboriginal Australians had occupied the continent for tens of thousands of years.

Rachel Naylor speaks to Dr Bowler about Mungo Man's original cremation with ochre and his secret reburial in 2022.

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(Photo: A Mutthi Mutthi Elder welcomes Mungo Man back to country during a smoking ceremony in 2017 in Balranald, Australia. Credit: Lisa Maree Williams / Getty Images)