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 first non-indigenous settlers
Perceptions
Practices and Interactions
Fear of this new, harsh, distant
and different place – seasons,
weather, local inhabitants
Some saw the land as an
opportunity – to start fresh, make
a fortune, build a family, get
away from struggle in other
places
No one owned the land – Terra
Nullius
Low land prices and settlers raced
for bargains
“new colonies of Australia could
simply trek into the bush, mark
out a large parcel of land and
claim ownership without
reference to anyone else.”
Colonisation usually meant bringing
most things with you – settlers struggled
to live off the land as the Aboriginal
people did
Development of towns and first cities –
mostly near the coast. To access the
shipping industry
Exploration of land for farms and
treasure and adventure
“some built large pastoral empires,
running thousands of cattle and sheep,
and becoming extremely rich.”
Introduction of many species. Animals
for farming, hunting and
companionship; plants for farming and
homesickness
Increasing population
Impacts
Initially small – due to numbers – but
began an approach to treating the land
that would create larger effects as the
population grew
Reduced use of fires meant heavy
undergrowth
Clearing of forests for farming and
construction
The value of native flora and fauna
was not recognised.
Introduced hard-hoofed animals which
lead to the compaction and loss of the
top soil, loss of native grasses and
erosion.
Introduced species such as the fox and
rabbit threatening native animals
The first environmental laws were
created to protect food supplies.
Built fences to mark boundaries, this
restricted the movement of native
fauna.
“All of the vast continent had to be filled with people”…
1803 The first European settlement in the area later known as Victoria, 400 people then 1835 Melbourne was founded .
A surge of people rushing south, clearing the land of trees and scrubs to make way for new housing. Makeshift tents and
huts sprung up along the Yarra, to house the flock of newcomers to the colony.
The government resumed mass immigration, and the increased workforce helped grow businesses cheaply, the settlement
grew rapidly
The gold rush transformed Melbourne increasing the population up to 540 000 people in the late 1850s (landscape as
“playdirt”
1940’s – populate or perish
1950 ‘ - populate the inland (The Snowy mountains Scheme)
1901 – “The land was so immense that it could offer everybody a job”
Federation – The new commonwealth of Australia was capable of supporting an almost countless population.
Perceptions
Economic value of the land and money that can be made from it. Land of opportunity
A place to go to become rich quick. Rural potential to support a large population
a resource potential, useful for its worth: in the 19th century land was a way of retaining and generating wealth
Many saw the land as an opportunity to make a fortune from mining gold and wealth from farming cattle or sheep
Fear of ‘bush’ remained amongst many – particularly in the cities and towns
Believed their dominance over nature – resources required due to the population boom
little regard to the alterations their cattle and sheep caused to the environment.
The environment was to be brought under control by humans and used by them for their own benefit
Connection to the land was growing with the rise of nationalism – this helped with early formation of preservation
societies
Practises and interactions
Similar to early settler practices but at a larger scale – mining, forestry, farming, grazing
Expansion of cities and development of regional towns and centres
Development of transport infrastructure – roads and railways
Acclimatisation societies and ongoing introduction of exotic species
Corporatisation of primary industries – farming, mining, forestry
Impacts
pressures placed on outdoor environments as a result of the dramatic increase in immigration
Increase in pollution of waterways for effluent
Land clearing and deforestation impacts – more rapid water runoff,, top soil exposure and loss causing erosion, depletion /
fragmentation of natural habitats/ecosystems , reduction in animal / insect species / decreases in biodiversity
. Introduced foreign species
Agriculture – seeds and grains
Grazing – hard hoofed cattle and sheep compacting soils
Recreational hunting – foxes and rabbits
Pets for looks (competition and preditation with native animals)
Clearing – loss of natural habitat and increased erosion
Contamination of water ways with human waste/ disease
Large scale of resources used due to the increasing population
Gold mining destroyed watercourses and natural environments from diggings, camps and transport,
“We diggers are horribly destructive of the picturesque” – water courses were left stripped of vegetation leaving nothing
but gravel an mud!
Industrialisation
“Characteristics of industrialization include the use of technological innovation to solve problems as opposed to
dependency upon conditions outside human control such as the weather, as well as more efficient, higher volume and
manufacture of goods and services” Development and exports dominated the relationship with the land at this time.
(Industrialisation connects neatly with several aspects of a modernising nation and the time period leading up to and
directly after Federation)
Industrialisation saw extensive industrial processes take place, as the environment was seen as a resource that could harnessed and
used in the process of timber harvesting. This encouraged perceptions of the environment being subservient to humans.
Interactions such as logging and land clearing occurred, these materials were used to generate profits. Impacts such as pollution
from industrial smog, general waste and chemicals leeching into the waterways would have occurred and reduced the health of the
environment
Perceptions
a primarily agricultural society is transformed into one based on the manufacturing of goods and services
Individual manual labor is replaced by mechanized mass production
technological innovation to solve problems and not such reliance on weather and seasons:dams and irrigation supply water all year
Indoor city lifestyle, not directly dependent on weather conditions or a knowledge of seasons leading to a less intimate
interaction with nature and a possible disassociation with nature
Interactions
The first Australian factories were based on the waterfront - repairing visiting vessels, brewing beer and making biscuits.
growth and development of large urban centres, industrial jobs available
overwhelming efficiency of mechanized farming (less people required to produce the food, more people lived in cities)
demand for machines and other hardware – factories set up
Increased public works activity during the 1870s played an important role in encouraging expansion in manufacturing
In this period the dairy and cattle industries had developed to such an extent that they were becoming export
industries. This increased following the development of refrigeration in the 1880’s.
Introduction of irrigation allows the opening up of new lands around Victoria and more export markets are
established
High-yielding varieties of cereal grains, the expansion of irrigation infrastructure, and the use of hybridized seeds,
fertilizers, and pesticides. Farmers were able to produce crops in even greater quantities.
working weeks, working conditions, increased income, 8 hr working day, 38 hr working week, days off for leisure /
recreational interests
Introduction of the working week and Sunday as the day off – picnicking in their Sunday clothes
First National parks were created, interest in setting aside some natural places,
Reserves set aside that specifically allowed for the preservation of land and water
1882 – FTG National Park set aside for preservation, picnic shelters set up for recreational use
First signs of need for protection and conservation, very few recognised this
As cities grow and the urban population increases holiday destinations begin to be established along the coast
and in the mountains. This is the beginning of recreation in the Australian outdoors.
Impacts
industrialiazation resulted in the growth and development of large urban centers and as well as suburbs.
in urban areas that air, noise and water pollution, and problems of sewerage, industrial effluents and solid waste
production are all heavily concentrated, sometimes overwhelming the natural systems ability to absorb the
impacts without degradation
Coastal impacts - Urbanisation tends to be more concentrated along coastal areas
the construction of hard surfaces and associated increase in stormwater run-off leading to an increase in litter and
liquid pollutants and sewage discharge into waterways
Increasing urbanisation and industrialisation – pollution, unrestrained use of resources
Large scale mining, sealing, whaling, logging leading to the depletion of resources
Mining, agriculture and forestry continued to be major uses of the natural environment. As technology allowed
these interactions to occur on a much larger scale than previously they began to have a greater impact on the
environment.
Loss of habitat of native animals and wide spread erosion
Nation Building
The environment is the canvas on which to build a nation
Definition: The process of constructing a national identity. Nation building can include the development of national myths
and national public holidays, as well as major infrastructure development, such as roads, dams, energy schemes, and
railways. Nation building could be said to be an ongoing process in Australia’s non-indigenous settlement.
Colonial children born in Australia started to take on a National Pride, they wanted a national identity.
“Nation-building was a period where Australia was viewed as a canvas on which to build and establish a nation. This encouraged
perceptions that the environment was ours and we had to take care of the raw materials in order to build and develop a nation.
There was creation of Roads, bridges, railways Lighthouses and National Parks. The roads and infrastructure damaged some parts of
the environment. But it also resulted in greater access to, and further protection of, significant natural places”
Perceptions
A duty to develop the land and populate it, Environment is the canvas on which to build a nation
An optimistic view – to show the new Australian residents as worthy custodians of a unique and difficult land, they had
pioneering qualities
Environment is seen as a resource by some to use for profit
Environment is seen as a place to protect by some
We can control nature (build dams for a permanent water supply)
Once viewed as an alien wilderness, it began to be recognized as a thing of beauty, which needed to be preserved
By the end of the 19th century, Australia was developing a sense of national identity, and people began to appreciate the
unique Australian plants and animals. But by then, much of the damage had been done, and many native animals had
been brought to extinction by introduced animals.
Interactions
Building large urban centres, large scale developments , Large numbers of job
Between 1875 and 1926 over one million bags of lime were shipped from the Cape Liptrap area to Melbourne for use in
building products
Irrigation is used to foster more introduced crops including cotton and rice
Conservation through National Parks continues
Recreation develops – including bushwalking and skiing
Post war projects infrastructure projects include building of Great Ocean Road (WW1) and Snowy Hydro Scheme
(WW2)
Major dams are built, Forestry, mining, grazing and agriculture continue to grow
Tourism grows – with ski resorts, growth in beach communities, construction of international airports
Cities continue to grow with most of population residing in major centres
Impacts
Extracted minerals (limestone) from the environment to build the city
Vast landscape change – building towns, factories, infrastructure, sawmills and dams
increase in fragmentation of natural environments by transport networks
Excessive farming creates dustbowl through some parts of southern Australia
Dryland soil salinity becomes a major problem
Environmental health of rivers decreases with excessive use of water and change in flows
Water, soil and air pollution continues to grow, especially around cities
Conservation movement grows and protected areas increase
Introduced species threaten biodiversity and agriculture – go through some examples of these and some of the responses
to them (cats dogs foxes rabbits, etc.)