The first inhabitants in Australia were the ancestors of the present indigenous people. Whether these first migrations involved one or several successive waves and distinct peoples is still subject to academic debate, as is its timing. The minimum widely accepted time frame places presence of humans in Australia at 40000to 43000 years Before Present, while the upper range supported by others is 60000 to 70000 years 8P. ln any event, this migration was achieved during the closing stages of the Pleistocene epoch, when sea levels were typically much lower than they are today. Repeated episodes of extended glaciation resulted in decreases of sea levels by some 100150 m. The continental coastline therefore extended much further out into the Timor Sea than it does today, and Australia and New Guinea formed a single landmass( known as Sahul), connected by an extensive land bridge across the Arafura Sea, Gulf of Carpentaria and Torres Strait. The ancestral Australian Aboriginal peoples were thus long established and continued to develop, diversity and settle through much of the continent. As the sea levels again rose at the terminus of the most recent glacial period some 10000 years ago the Australian continent once more became a separated landmass. However ethe newly formed 150 km wide Torres Strait with chain of islands still provided the means for cultural contact and trade between New Guinea and the northern Cape York Penisula.