Woomera Spear Thrower from Southern Queensland

Item AF2   

This Item was Sold on 8 January 2016 for $900


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This Aboriginal Woomera ( spear thrower or atlatl ) is from Southern Queensland in Eastern Australia. I have seen 4 of these sell in major auctions and this style is very rare and rather expensive. It is definitely 19th Century and it is in excellent condition. I have seen one auction listing that claimed this style is from the Jarrah forests of Southern Western Australia, but the wood is not Jarrah and all of the other auction listings claimed that this style was was Southern Queensland. The handle has an offset mounted ball of Spinifex resin and the Spinifex is totally intact. The peg is also fully intact and the sinew wrapping is fully encased in Spinifex. The surface of the board on both sides is very flat, smooth and shiny, as was the case in all others of this type that I examined. A museum curator told me that the surface is finished in Goanna oil, which is shinny and an excellent preservative. There are no cracks, edge chips or missing Spinifex. It is the nicest Woomera of this type that I have seen.

Length = 61 cm ; Weight = 264 gm


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