Arid and ancient

While it's the most populous state in Australia, New South Wales stretches into some sparse territory. Here at Mungo National Park, the parched earth stands in sharp contrast to the state capital's green shores 500 miles east. Mungo is one of the Willandra Lakes, which despite their name are usually devoid of water: Lake Mungo and the 16 neighboring beds have been dry for roughly 18,000 years. A meeting site for Aboriginal Australian nations before colonists seized it, the area was home in even earlier times to Mungo Man and Mungo Lady—thought to be the country's oldest unearthed human remains.