Wattle used for tools, food and medicine by Western Desert traditional owners for 50,000 years, study shows

Archaeologists have examined charcoal from ancient campfires which shows how wattle was used by traditional owners in Australia’s Western Desert. Photograph: Chae Byrne, University of Western Australia

Wattle has had a cultural use spanning 50,000 years, a study analysing ancient campfires in Australia’s Western Desert has found.

The practice of archaeobotany was used by researchers to analyse charcoal preserved in the oldest archaeological site on Martu Country.