Coolbool Creek is an

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology a ...

near the

Wakool River Wakool River, an anabranch of the Edward River that is part of the Murray River catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, is located in the western Riverina region of south western New South Wales, Australia. The Wakool River splits from t ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia. It is about halfway between

Swan Hill Swan Hill is a city in the northwest of Victoria, Australia on the Murray Valley Highway and on the south bank of the Murray River, downstream from the junction of the Loddon River. At , Swan Hill had a population of 11,508. Indigenous Peo ...

and

Deniliquin Deniliquin () is a town in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia, close to the border with Victoria. It is the largest town in the Edward River Council local government area. Deniliquin is located at the intersection of the Riverina ...

. The site is near Doherty's Hut at Coobool Crossing, although the exact spot is unknown. G. M. Black found 126 skulls at the site in 1950. It has been difficult to give an exact age for the skulls, but one has been dated to 14,300 years ago. Some of the skulls also show

artificial cranial deformation Artificial cranial deformation or modification, head flattening, or head binding is a form of body alteration in which the skull of a human being is deformed intentionally. It is done by distorting the normal growth of a child's skull by applying ...

. The age, location, and deformities make the site similar to another Pleistocene site at Kow Swamp. Some scientists have said that this shows they were part of the same population, but others have disagreed. Because Coolbool Creek skulls were found on the surface it is difficult to date them, and other scientists have argued that they might be much older. The skulls were kept at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb no ...

until 1984. They were returned to the local Aboriginal communities and reburied.

References

Archaeological sites in New South Wales History of New South Wales {{Australia-archaeology-stub