Australian Atlantis: 'Lost Continent' Off Australia May Be Home to Humans 70,000 Years Ago Following Discovery of Rivers, Freshwater Lakes

Atlantis is a mythical city portrayed in ancient literature as a bastion of a highly advanced, utopian civilization based in the Atlantic Ocean. Its inhabitants have been perceived by legend to have reached the peak of morality and spirituality. In 360 B.C., the story of Atlantis was mentioned by ancient Greek philosopher Plato, who said that the founders of Atlantis were half god and half human.

According to Plato's account during his dialogues, Atlantis, after reaching the pinnacle of civilization, fell thousands of years ago due to reasons unknown. However, prevailing theories suggest that natural disasters such as fire and earthquakes may have caused the downfall of the ancient civilization and its sinking to the bottom of the sea.

Now, a new study found that the lost city of Atlantis is not alone and has a counterpart in the east, located off Australia. This undersea territory is called the "Australian Atlantis" and is a real-life lost continent where potentially half a million people lived 70,000 years ago, according to researchers. This breakthrough discovery came after scientists detected potential rivers and freshwater lakes.

Australian Atlantis

Unlike the fictional island of Atlantis decimated by blaze and earth, the Australian Atlantis was submerged underwater due to sea level rise. This natural disaster drowned a large habitable area of Northwest Australia, resulting in long-term cultural change, according to the 2024 study published in the journal Quaternary Science Reviews on Monday, January 15.

The study's models show the continent or vast archipelago off the northwest coast of Sahul may have supported between 50,000 and 500,000 people. Sahul pertains to the combined Pleistocene landmass of Australia (including Tasmania) and New Guinea. Researchers believe that an extensive area once connected northwestern Australia, mainly the Kimberley and Arnhem Land regions.

Lost Continent

The lost continent off Australia consists of a submerged landscape, more than 100 meters (330 feet) below sea level today, according to the study's lead author and archaeologist Kasih Norman from Griffith University in Queensland, Australia. If not submerged or above sea level, the Australian Atlantis' large stretch of continental shelf would have connected the two said regions.

Today, Kimberley and Arnhem Land are separated by a large ocean bay. Despite the discovery, there is limited understanding to the undersea territory due to little research conducted about it, especially on the angle of whether humans could have inhabited the lost continent. Still there is a strong possibility that it is inhabitable due to its proximity to mainland Southeast Asia and Australia, as well as its tropical environment.

The Australian Atlantis is different from the submerged continental crus in Oceania called Zealandia, which was once part of the supercontinent of Gondwana until it breaks away 83 million to 79 million years ago. In contemporary times, scientists have concluded that the current Southwest Pacific countries of New Zealand and New Caledonia are part of Zealandia.