AUSTRALIA: Golden wattle, a type of acacia tree, is an important symbol of modern Australia and serves as its national flower. However, its roots run much deeper among the continent’s original inhabitants. Charcoal remains from Karnatukul cave shelter in the Carnarvon Range show that the hardy tree was an important resource for the Aboriginal Martu people, especially as a source of fuel. The 50,000-year-old cave site is the oldest known inhabited site in the Western Desert and contains the area’s earliest known use of firewood.

Source: archaeology.org