NONINDIGENOUS

RELATIONSHIPS
 KEY KNOWLEDGE

TO understand relationships with Australian outdoor

environments as infl uenced by:
The fi rst non-indigenous settlers experiences
Increasing population
Industrialisation
Nation building
 WHO ARE THE NON-INDIGENOUS?

First non-indigenous settlers were the Europeans,

specifi cally British and Irish, they were;
Farmers
Explorers
Administrators
Convicts
Despite early discovery of Australia by Portuguese,
Chinese and Dutch, the First Fleet marked the
beginning of permanent settlement and ownership of
Australia.
 SETTLERS PERCEPTION

To understand the relationship with the environment

the fi rst non-indigenous people had, we must
understand how they perceived the environment.
 FEAR

Seasons in Australia are opposite to European

seasons
Settlers came from a civilised society, where houses
and farms were in existence.
Growing crops was not performed at the same time as
in Europe, meaning strategies for growing them were
diff erent.
Poor nutrient soil meant that growing crops was
diffi cult
 OPPORTUNITY

Terra nullius land belonging to no-one

Early settlers saw the land as without owners despite
indigenous communities having lived with the land for
thousands of years.
Lack of government authorities meant that early
settlers had vast lands to utilize for farming

Seen as an opportunity to farm, tame, build and

develop Australias wild and untamed environment.
 SETTLERS PRACTICES

Populations were positioned close to the coast. Why?

As confi dence with grew with the Australian
environment, farmers and others moved inland to
farm, graze or (prospecting) mining.
Settlers brought to Australia things they were familiar
with back home and unnatural to the Australian
environment eg. Cows, sheep, cats, dogs, pigs,
rabbits, wheat, potatoes, corn.
Animals were used for farming, pets, hunting and
working.
Plants were used for eating
Led to a development of towns, roads and farms
meaning that areas were cleared of native fl ora.
 SETTLERS IMPACTS -
ENVIRONMENTAL
Cessation of Fires
The fear of Indigenous practices burning meant that fi re
used for land clearing ceased. This has led to an increase in
undergrowth, leading to large scale fi res experienced in
Victoria.
Forest clearing
Clearing of forests began as a natural need for timber to
build and farm. However extensive land clearing, both past
and present, has led to a reduction of native vegetation.
Introduced species
Created ongoing problems for land managers nationwide.
Hard hooves of sheep, cattle and horses
Expansion of pests rabbits and foxes
Cats
Growth of many introduced plants/weeds
 INCREASING POPULATION

Throughout Australias settlers history, diff erent

areas of Australia experienced rapid increases in
population.
What is the cause of this?
When is an example of this?
 GOLD RUSH

In the 1850s, Victoria experienced what is known as

the gold rush
In this period, the population of Australia more than
doubled, in fact nearly tripled.
Centres such as Ballarat and Bendigo experienced
population booms as people sought to make money
from gold.
Page 158 of text book
 PERCEPTION OF INCREASING
POPULATION
There was still a common fear for inland Australia as
it was not a resourceful place. The fear remained
common, more so amongst new arrivals, most of
whom from Europe, China and North America.

Perception as a resource
The land was seen as a place to make a fortune
Remains to be a place to search for resources (eg. mines
WA, QLD, gas plants WA)
Seeing the environment as a resource led to the number of
expeditions that set out to explore Australia.
 PRACTICES DURING INCREASING
POPULATION
Farming
Clearing of Land
Development of towns
Mining towns

The rapid boom associated with the gold rush, meant

that small towns had to develop shops, schools,
police stations.
With the expanding towns, came a greater
requirement for food, pressuring farmers to expand
clearing for crops and grazing animals
 IMPACTS DURING INCREASING
POPULATION
Construction of mines and mine equipment led to the
dramatic deforestation of the lands around these
towns.
A large number of abandoned mine shafts around
mining towns
These impacts are the cause of devastating erosion
and run off eff ects.
Increased urbanisation and industrialisation leading
to pollution.
 INDUSTRIALISATION

Refers to the development of industry on an

excessive scale.
For Australia, it refers to a time in the late 1800s
where;
Existing cities grew and new ones were founded
Agricultural enterprises expanded
Land clearing and development accellerated
 PERCEPTIONS DURING
INDUSTRIALISATION
Two views for which people had views of the
environment during this time;
The environment as a resource
The environment in danger
 ENVIRONMENT AS A RESOURCE

Seeing the environment as a resource to profi ting all

of the population.
In Victoria, there was large amounts of land that were
uninhabited.
State Government saw these places as a place for
important economic development for urban
development and agriculture.
Minerals (gold, coal etc.), water (harvesting for
example Aquaduct in High Plains) and forests were
seen as resources that could be extracted from the
environment.
 ENVIRONMENT IN DANGER

Environmental degradation was easily covered up as

damaging impacts could be covered up from the sight
of small towns and farms.
As the nations population increased, pressure arose
as new perceptions arose, a need to preserve and
protect the environment.
 PRACTICES DURING
INDUSTRIALISATION
As during early settlement years and the period in
which the nations population rose, during the
industrial period of this nation people were exploring,
land clearing and developing towns.
However during the periods of the 1880s & 90s
there are 3 key events or changes that continue to
shape our environment today:
Machinery
Working Conditions
National Parks
 MACHINERY

During this period, Australia was in the midst of a

manufacturing boom.
Mining for gold and other precious metals, timber
harvesting and agriculture (crops) were bolstered and
expanded due to the use of machinery.
Machinery completed jobs faster, worked for longer
and were more effi cient than human labour, however
with greater impacts on the environment.
Introduction of irrigation led to the expansion of the
agricultural industry.
 WORKING CONDITIONS

Improved working conditions were established in this

era due to the rise of labour movements and trade
unions.
The introduction of 8 hour working days (celebrated
today as Labour Day holiday) led to higher standards
of living, with more time on hands and more
disposable income.
Meant that workers spent more time exploring parks
and bushlands, setting the foundations for many
naturalist and recreational organisations.
Bushwalking, Skiing and cycling became popular
pastimes in this period.
 NATIONAL PARKS

Victorias fi rst National Parks were established in the

1890s.
These began a process of protection, preservation
and management that has seen more of the world
natural environments set aside in conservation areas.
 IMPACTS DURING
INDUSTRIALISATION
The increasing use of machinery during this time
extended the impacts that were already occurring
during the increasing population.
Impacts include:
Erosion and loss of topsoil
Soil salinity (the increase of salt content in the soil)
Decrease in the health of waterways due to excessive water
use and change in natural fl ows
Both positive and negative impacts due to the rise in
recreation in the environment.
Negative Increasing number of users to same places led to
greater burdens on the environment
Positive Users understand the importance of protecting these
places
 NATION BUILDING PERCEPTION

The process of constructing a national identity.

1901 saw the foundation of the Commonwealth of
Australia and pressures to develop a self sustained
and independent nation.
Environment seen as a canvas to paint a nation.
Belief that humans can control nature
 PRACTICES DURING NATION
BUILDING
Continued practices of farming and agriculture,
mining, expansion of cities
Introduction of a national transportation network.
Massive development of highways and other road
systems.
Post World War I came the construction of The Great
Ocean Road, showcasing Victorias spectacular coast
line.
Hydroelectricity, the use of water power to produce
electricity, started a period of Dam development,
having both an impact on both he environment and
people.
The introduction of non-native species.
IMPACTS DURING NATION BUILDING

Excessive farming
Soil Salinity
Water, Soil and air pollution
Conservation movement grew and protected areas
increased