| Record Number |
18566 |
| ISBN |
9781743311325 |
| Location |
305.89 GAM |
| Author |
Gammage, Bill, 1942- (author.). |
| Title |
The biggest estate on earth : how Aborigines made Australia / Bill Gammage. |
| Published |
Crows Nest, NSW : Allen & Unwin, 2012. |
| Collation |
xxiii, 434 pages : col. ill. ; 25 cm. |
| Content types |
text |
| Carrier type |
volume |
| Bibliography Note |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 347-415) and index. |
| Contents Note |
Australia in 1788 Introduction - The Australian estate - 1. Curious landscapes - 2. Canvas of a continent Why was Aboriginal land management possible? - 3. The nature of Australia - 4. Heaven on earth - 5. Country How was land managed? - 6. The closest ally - 7. Associations - 8. Templates - 9. A capital tour - 10. Farms without fences Invasion - 11. Becoming Australian - Appendix 1: Science, history and landscape - Appendix 2: Current botanical names for plants named with capitals in the text. |
| Summary Note |
"Across Australia, 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. Bill Gammage has discovered this was because Aboriginal people managed the land in a far more systematic and scientific fashion than we have ever realised. For over a decade, Gammage has examined written and visual records of the Australian landscape. He has uncovered an extraordinarily complex system of land management using fire and the life cycles of native plants to ensure plentiful wildlife and plant foods throughout the year. We know Aboriginal people spent far less time and effort than Europeans in securing food and shelter, and now we know how they did it. With details of land-management strategies from around Australia, 'The biggest estate on earth' rewrites the history of this continent, with huge implications for us today." - Back cover. |
| Awards Note |
Prime Minister's Literary Awards: Prize for Australian History, 2012. |
| Subject |
Geographical Knowledge and Understanding -- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures |
| Humanities and social sciences |
| Aboriginal Australians -- History |
| Aboriginal Australians -- Agriculture -- History |
| Land use -- Australia -- Management -- History |
| Natural resources -- Australia -- Management -- History |
| Aboriginal Australians -- Agriculture |
