How long have Papuan peoples occupied the Sahul continent?

Papuan peoples have occupied the Sahul continent for at least 40,000 years. While this is the established minimum, some research and modeling studies suggest that humans may have first reached the continent as early as 45,000 to 50,000 years ago, with some estimates even proposing an arrival as early as 75,000 years ago.12

These early populations were hunter-gatherers who adapted to the tropical rainforests of the region's equatorial zone, which eventually became the island of New Guinea following the rise in sea levels at the end of the Pleistocene Epoch.1