Reconciliation Reads

In the past 6 years two “eye opening” books have been published in Australia about the nature of the Australian landscape at the time of European settlement. Both authors have carefully searched archives, diaries, reports, letters, drawings and paintings from the early days of settlement as well as extensive archaeological evidence about management of the environment by Aboriginal people. The first of the book reviews by Robyn Gill is below.

Bill Gammage in 2011 published The BIGGEST ESTATE on EARTH HOW ABORIGINES MADE AUSTRALIA. He found that “early Europeans commented again and again that the land looked like a park. With extensive grassy patches and pathways, open woodlands and abundant wildlife it evoked a country estate in England.” He attributed this to “an extraordinarily complex system of land management” by Aboriginal people “using fire and the lifecycles of native plants to ensure plentiful wildlife and plant foods throughout the year” (“firestick farming” – virtually a form of mowing).

Many details of this management process and the sources of the information are the focus of Gammage’s book. He concludes that, “once Aboriginal people were unable to tend their country it became overgrown and vulnerable to the hugely damaging bushfires we now experience.”

Interestingly, low intensity “cool burning” is being widely used again as a way of stopping the hot fire outbreaks. The low to medium intensity hazard reduction burn promoted by Landcare, facilitated by LMCC and carried out by Fire and Rescue on the Coal Point Ridge recently has had great results in reducing flammable material and also in regenerating the local vegetation so it competes better with weeds. Many rural Landcare groups are holding field days with titles such as COOL BURN INDIGINOUS FIRE MANAGEMENT FOR PRODUCTIVE PASTURES.

This book has been well recognised as making an interesting and compelling case for a different way of looking at our land and its history.It is available at Lake Macquarie Council libraries.

The second book review will follow in the July Chronicle.