Overview
- Excavation in 2023 uncovered a deliberate cache of 60 large stone tulas near a waterhole north of Boulia in far‑west Queensland.
- Optically stimulated luminescence dating places the burial within a 95% probability window between 1793 and 1913.
- A similar cache found in 1988 less than eight kilometers away indicates repeated local practice of burying bundles for later use or exchange.
- The tulas are specialized hafted woodworking tools widely used across Australia, and the team worked with Pitta Pitta custodians and landholders to analyze the find.
- Researchers suggest non‑retrieval may relate to European‑era disruption but emphasize the dates are imprecise, and they report racing to recover the tools because of bushfire and flood risk.