Human bones unearthed by workers excavating a street in regional South Australia will be handled "in accordance with Aboriginal heritage guidelines", after being identified as ancient remains.
SA Water workers exhumed the remains on Thursday about 11am in Edinburgh Street in Port Lincoln.
After local police confirmed the bones appeared to be human, forensic response officers and a forensic anthropologist examined them this morning.
The forensic team concluded the remains date back to before European colonisation of Australia and "are of ancient Aboriginal origin".
"The remains will be handled with respect and in accordance with Aboriginal heritage guidelines," police said.