Devil's Lair

Devil's Lair is a single-chamber cave with a floor area of around 200 square metres that formed in a Quaternary dune limestone of the Leeuwin–Naturaliste Ridge, 5 kilometres from the modern coastline of Western Australia [1]. Archaeological evidence for intermittent human occupation extends down about 350 centimetres to layer 30, with hearths, bone, and stone artefacts found throughout [1]. The site is named for the remains of the locally extinct Sarcophilus harrisii (Tasmanian devil), uncovered there [1]. Devil's Lair is important as one of the earliest sites of human occupation in Australia [1]. The site boasts a rich history, occupation of the site dating back to more than 40,000 years ago [1]. Excavations at Devil's Lair have yielded early human ornaments in the form of three ground bone beads dating to 19,000–12,700 years BP [1]. These beads were made from the limb-bones of macropods and were manufactured by cutting the bone shafts into short segments and grinding them smooth on abrasive stone [1].