I think now would be a good time to attempt to resurrect this thread as the more appropriate place for this discussion.
Yes, and I covered this with the above quotation:
In northern Australia, dug-out canoes are used to travel across open water. Carved from a single log, they are propelled by a square, pandanus sail. In northern Queensland, outriggers are attached to canoes to improve stability.
The article I cited did not however indicate any specifically “sea-going craft” in Southern Australia, nor any vessels beyond bark canoes “primarily, they are used for river travel or for reaching nearby islands.”. I had also seen indications that Tasmanian aborigines used a type of bark canoe:
[Source]
Addendum: I have since come across this categorisation:
The ethnographic canoes of the East Coast can be grouped into four broader categories.
• Dugout seafaring canoe of north Queensland,
• Stitched bark seafaring canoe of the central and southern coast of Queensland,
• Folded-ends bark canoe, unsuitable for sea-travel, of southeast Australia,
• Bundle of bark or reed canoe of maritime-design of Tasmania,
SE Australian bark canoes are described as:
Bark canoes with very low folded ends in south-east Australia are strongly associated with ancient bark technology, visible in containers of this region. They were designed for coastal lakes, bays and estuaries, not for sea navigation. These canoes may have their roots in the period when the current coastline was formed and stabilised in about 7,000 years ago.
[My emphasis]
The Tasmanian ‘canoes’ are described as:
Unlike other Aboriginal canoes, the Tasmanian type is not a vessel – a large container – but a combination of bark or reed bundles made into maritime watercraft. It typically carried 4-6 passengers and occasionally 7-8 people ‘with dogs and spears.’ This canoe may have been used at least 6,000 years ago to visit Bruny Island, but possibly much earlier, as Tasmanians were unable (or unwilling) to borrow the idea of bark canoes from their mainland brothers after Tasmania was separated from the mainland about 10,000 years ago.
This would indicate that SE Australia → Tasmania travel would be unlikely. It is not clear how this affects Tasmania → SE Australia travel. The dissimilarity between their vessels may indicate a lack of contact between them.
King Island is not altogether surprising, as it is closer to Tasmania than to the mainland. I have however not seen any confirmation to date of this. This article may provide more information, but is behind a paywall:
https://www.jstor.org/stable/40287003
It would seem to me unlikely that Tasmanian aborigines “travelled by sea to Western Australia”, given the large distance (approximately 3000km) and adverse prevailing winds. Can you give a citation?
Again, a citation would be useful please.