This Woomera (spear thrower or atlatl) from the Central Desert region of Australia was made in the first half of the 20th Century. The Aborigines of the Central Desert travelled on long walkabouts where they had to carry light weight and multi-purpose tools. This light weight Woomera is called a Miru by the indigenous Central Desert people. The Miru is not only a spear thrower, but the curved interior section is used much like a coolamon bowl for the preparation of food, preparing ochre for ceremonial purposes, etc. The central section has a thin and uniform thickness along most of the entire length. This example is in very good condition with no breaks or cracks. The peg is loosely bound with fine sinew. There is no Spinifex resin anywhere on this Miru, so it was probably used in one of the dryer or more Southern regions of the Central Desert. This Miru has incised Totemic art on the outer surface (see photo). This Woomera feels great in the hand and would make a fine throwing implement, if it were not a good collectable. Length = 70 cm. Weight = 192 gm