This paper presents recent field and laboratory evidence for the initial peopling of northwest Sahul via the Raja Ampat Islands of West Papua. These islands are situated on Birdsell’s northern route at the interface of Wallacea and New Guinea. Excavation and radiocarbon dating at Molol Cave provide strong evidence for >55000–50000-year-old human occupation. We compare the Molol record to other sites in the wider Pacific/Island Southeast Asia region, and we discuss the implications for when and how our species began to populate Australasia.