The Victorian Bush, its 'original and natural' condition

 
 

The Victorian Bush: its ‘original and natural’ condition aggregates in a readable way extracts from logs, reports and diaries of Victorian explorers, early settlers, travellers and officials that describe the vegetation and fauna they encountered.
The author analyses what he sees are the major ecological processes across south-eastern Australia, including the role of fire. Obviously Victoria today differs greatly from those nineteenth century landscapes. Some of these differences have been insufficiently recognised; others are surprising.

    




 


“What were Victoria’s forests and woodlands like before they were so radically disturbed by European settlement? Were they being managed by Aboriginal people, what was their structure and species composition, what natural phenomena may have been significant influences on them, how healthy were they, and how dynamic were they? A six-year examination of colonial documents has produced some surprising answers to these questions.”

Published by Polybractea Press 2010

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