Sahul

Sahul (/səˈhuːl/), also called Sahul-land, Meganesia, Papualand and Greater Australia,[1] was a paleocontinent that encompassed the modern-day landmasses of mainland Australia, Tasmania, New Guinea, and the Aru Islands.

[2][7] At its largest, when ocean levels were at their lowest, it was approximately 10,600,000 square kilometres (4,100,000 sq mi) in size.

[note 1][2] After the last Ice Age global temperatures increased and sea levels gradually rose, flooding the land bridge and separating mainland Australia from New Guinea and Tasmania.

[8] Sahul hosted a large variety of unique fauna that changed independently from the rest of the world.

[9] It is estimated humans first migrated to Sahul around 45,000 years ago, making the ocean crossing from Sunda through Wallacea.