Non- IndigenousSettlement Timeline

EARLY EXPLORERS

Perceptions: that the environment of Australia was unusual, strange and unique. “Terra Nullius was the legal term used to describe land tenure in Australia from the time of the first fleet” Europeans perceived the “ concept , that the land was owned or possessed by nobody” (Public land, Private land and Out door

environmental studies.)

Interactions: they did as there named they explored and investigated areas to for English settlement.

Relationships: had a fascination with the environment and a eagerness to learn more about it.

Impacts: very little or minimal. Came in small parties which was hard to leave an impact with. As shown by “successful inland explorers like Major Mitchell and Edward John Eyre, who survived their journeys, travelled lightly, had good knowledge of 'the bush' and bushcraft” (http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/explorers/, 2011)

EARLY EXPLORERS

1770: Captain Cook first landed in Botany Bay.

1835: John Batman founded Melbourne and declared in his diary “ this will be the place for a village.

1840: Angus McMillan led the expedition through Gippsland that shaped the route it is today.

1770: Joseph Banks on Cook’s expedition is amazed by the vast landscape, unusual vegetation and exotic animals.

1803: Matthew Flinders completes first circumnavigation of Australia.

EARLY SETTLERS

Perceptions: They saw the environment as harsh, hostile, wild and that it needed to be tamed. They also

Relationships: Early settlers had a lack of understanding of Aboriginal ways of life as shown “developments have not come without a price for Indigenous people – their population, culture, spirituality and homelands have been under threat ever since.” (http://pals.dia.wa.gov.au/europeanSettlement.aspx , 2011)

Interactions: Many early settlers tried farming the land and introduced species from Europe that produced well in England but not necessarily in Australia.

Impacts: Many settlers through farming impacted the environment through compaction (from animals), erosion, over grazing, water pollution. Plus the introduction of species added competition for native species and affected their numbers.

EARLY SETTLERS

Wilsons Promontory: The early establishment of European settlers in Wilsons Promontory in 1798 lead to mass sealing and whaling Sealer’s cove. “and they hunted the Australian fur seal almost to extinction.” Also early European settlers ran whaling and sealing operations from Refugee Cove to. This lack of understanding of the impacts of this type of farming was mirroring of the general European settlers perceptions, impacts, relationships and interactions.

GOLD RUSH

Perceptions: that the environment was very much a resource to be used and exploited for as much wealth as possible and as quickly as possible. As shown in the next slide by the example of Ballarat.

Relationships: Had a money making relationship with the environment.

Interactions: Established rail links, mined gold, large population increases, built towns around settlements.

Impacts: Damaged ecosystems from mining, cleared land for infrastructure and eroded and compacted land from mining.

GOLD RUSH (BALLARAT)

1851: The discovery of gold in the Ballarat area in August 1851.

1851: By the end of September, nearly a 1000 miners were digging for gold on the Ballarat field

1853: There were more than 20,000 miners of many nationalities working on the field.

1868: At its peak, the Ballarat goldfield supported 300 companies and the population of the settlement was estimated at 64,000.

1870: Wild speculation caused a recession of the mining industry and many companies failed. The recession ended as more stable industries replaced gold mining.

1918: Ballarat's last mine closed down.