This old Aboriginal hunting boomerang, or throwstick, was made by Australian Aborigines in the last half of the 19th Century. The wood is Mulga, a dense and heavy hardwood that grows in the Central and Eastern Desert. The reddish brown wood has darkened considerably with age. It is almost black in color as a result of the natural wood oils migrating to the surface and oxidizing over time. The wood and construction is typical of boomerangs made in the Eastern Desert from Northern South Australia, Western New South Wales and Western Queensland. Both surfaces are scraped smooth and the wood has a wavy texture that is typical for surfaces that are formed by stone scraping and with moisture loss due to aging. There are very fine scratches in the surface that are probably metal file or stone tool marks. This boomerang is in excellent condition. There are no edge chips or cracks. It is difficult to find very old hunting boomerangs in this condition.