This hunting boomerang, or throwstick was made out of Mulga, a dense desert hardwood. It is well made with good airfoils and no damage. Both surfaces are painted with Aboriginal art, but the paint appears to be oil based and not native ochre. The construction suggests that it is earlier than mid 20th Century, but the paint may have been applied later. It is still very nice and it looks strong enough to throw, although I do not recommend that you throw collectible artifacts. There is one knot in the wood mid span on one side. I do not think that this will affect the strength of this piece. I acquired this artifact from a Canadian collector in 1996. It was part of a Canadian museum liquidation. This would be a wonderful artifact to display or use for show and tell in a school.