Lake Mungo remains "Homo sapiens" (human) remains found on the Australian continent. Lake Mungo is a dry lake located in south-eastern Australia, in the south-western portion of New South Wales. It is about due west of Sydney and north-east of Mildura, and 110 km north-west of Balranald. The lake is the central feature of Mungo National Park, and is one of seventeen lakes in the World Heritage listed Willandra Lakes Region. Sediments at Lake Mungo have been deposited over more than 100,000 years. There are three distinct layers of sands and soil forming the Walls around the edge of the lake. The oldest
Lake Mungo remains hearths and middens that were eroding from the dunes. Conservation is in-situ and no research is permitted. Mungo National Park can be visited by tourists and is accessed by an unsealed road. Boardwalks have been installed throughout the sand dunes and visitors are forbidden from stepping off the boardwalks unless accompanied by an Aboriginal guide. In 2014, fake bones were buried throughout the area as part of an experiment for La Trobe University. Within two weeks, nearly all of the artificial bones had disappeared. Lake Mungo remains The Lake Mungo remains are three prominent sets of Aboriginal Australian human remains: