Introduction

E.5044 Nardoo (Marsileaceae) spore cases acquired 1895. Photo: S Humphreys.

Australia is one of the driest continents on earth. Drought is common. In far-western New South Wales there is a drought lasting 12 months or more about once every six years.

Despite regular droughts, Aboriginal people have lived successfully in large parts of the arid inland regions of Australia for thousands of years. Over time they developed a sophisticated and intricate knowledge of their environment that was vital to their success in these conditions. There were two key elements to their subsistence strategies: knowledge of where and how to find water, and how to collect and make flour from a range of native plant seeds.

The first Europeans to attempt to cross the inland of Australia were a team led by Robert O'Hara Burke and his navigator William John Wills in 1860. The aim of their expedition was to travel inland from the south coast of Australia starting in Melbourne all the way to the Gulf of Carpentaria in northern Australia. Only one member of the lead party survived - John King. Burke and Wills (as well as many other early European explorers) learnt the hard way that inland Australia was an environment not to be underestimated.

Contact details

Rebecca Conway
Project Officer - Aboriginal Archaeological Collections
Phone: (+612) 9320 6460
Fax: (+612) 9320 6040
Email Rebecca Conway

Barrina South
Aboriginal Project Officer - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Collections
Phone: (+612) 9320 6246
Fax: (+612) 9320 6040
Email Barrina South