Broadbeach

A burial site along the coast south of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Excavations uncovered 200 burials over a span of 1300 years, with wide variations in burial practices, possibly related to age, sex and status. Red ochre was present in nearly all graves, while grave goods included bone, shell, and stone artifacts and tools.

A burial ground in coastal dunes south of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Excavations indicated that during the last 1300 years about 200 individuals may have been buried there. There were wide variations in burial practices, possibly related to age, sex and status; they included primary, secondary, single and multiple burials, as well as cremations. Skeletons were extended, flexed or wrapped in bundles, and deposited in vertical or horizontal pits. Red ochre was present in nearly all graves, while grave goods included stone and shell arrangements, and bone and shell tools. Evidence of charcoal and food remains in and on top of the filled graves suggested that a cooked meal was part of the burial ritual.