as early settlements Flashcards
What was the experience that the British went through after arriving in Australia?
In the first years in the new British settlement at Port Jackson, convicts and marines struggled to survive.
The soil was poor, the climate was quite different to that in England and few of the convicts had any
farming experience. Settlers had some success in new settlements along the Nepean–Hawkesbury River
at Windsor where the soil was better, but crops were destroyed in disastrous floods. The challenges of
survival were many, and the settlers had little understanding of their new environment. Settlement gradually developed in areas that were favourable to European agricultural practices, but these practices would soon have an effect on the landscape — in most instances, an irreversible effect.
What did James Ruse do during this time?
James Ruse (see subtopic 1b.5) grew small amounts of wheat at Parramatta in the early days of European
settlement, but the first major development of the wheat industry was in South Australia, where soil suitable for growing wheat was close to the sea and therefore to transport. From here, wheat farming spread west to Western Australia and east to the Mallee region of Victoria.
What later damaged the environment, and caused chaos with the British?
However, sheep destroyed the environment that had at first seemed so attractive. In addition to their
large numbers, there were two other ways in which sheep were not adapted to the environment. Sheep’s
hooves caused damage to the land and their teeth and jaw structure meant that they could bite grass near
its roots and prevent it regerminating. This did not present a problem in the early days of settlement as
graziers could move further inland, but as they did so, they found the climate became warmer, drier and
less hospitable.
Over time, the environment was damaged further by the introduction of foreign plants and animals
that did not have natural predators. These included cats and foxes, which preyed on small native animals;
rabbits, which destroyed much of the landscape with their burrowing and excessive grazing; and blackberry
and prickly pear plants, which could quickly overrun and destroy areas of native vegetation.
What was the continent of the Aboriginals called?
terra nullius
How was the life like with the Aboriginals? How did they take care of the land and what practises did they have?
Over thousands of years, Aboriginal Australians had managed the land to sustain their lifestyle. They had extensive knowledge of plants and their uses, and they built complex fishing traps in rivers. One of their most successful methods of land management was the use of controlled burning, which had many benefits.
It prevented the build-up of bushland fuel that could lead to destructive fires, and it returned nutrients to the soil and encouraged the growth of new native grasses. These fresh grasses brought kangaroos into the area, which could then be hunted for food.
The British had little respect for, or understanding of, the Aboriginal relationship to the land. They maintained that because the Indigenous Australians did not appear to farm the land, the continent was terra nullius. The occupiers took the attitude that they were free to take possession of whatever land they needed.
