First occupied between 45,000-49,000 years ago, the montane regions of New Guinea provide evidence for some of the earliest movements of modern humans into these types of environments. Importantly, they challenge the notion that the first peoples to enter the Australasian region were reliant on coastlines for movement, which is a key feature of models explaining the dispersal out of Africa. Here, there is an opportunity to explore questions around adaptations to new landscapes and new Gondwanaland resources, as well as montane conditions, particularly in the approach to the Last Glacial Maximum. Post-LGM, the Highlands have another story to tell as this area becomes one of the few places in the world to independently develop agriculture, based on tree and root crops. However, the lead up to this development is still not well understood, nor the effects that this development has on local social and political systems. This presentation will review the current evidence for occupation of the New Guinea mountains and identify key areas of new research that need to be explored.