ESC OES unit 3

VCE Outdoor & Environmental Studies

Non-Indigenous
3.1.3

Relationships

Key Knowledge: Key Skills:

Relationships with outdoor Australian
Environments as influenced by:
- Early non-indigenous settlers
- Increasing population
- Industrialisation
- Nation building
Describe and analyse the changing
relationships with Australian outdoor
environments influenced by historical
events and associated key social and
cultural issues.

1. A Timeline of Non-indigenous settlement

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TASK: Fill in the blank sections of the timeline below, including: Time range of
when this era is associated with and what does it refer to/what major events
occurred in Australia at this time.

http://www.aushistorytimeline.com/

Era Time range Associated events

Early Settlers

Growing
Population

Industrialisatio
n

Nation building

Into the Australian Alps

As outlined in the Study Design, you need to be able to:
Describe and analyse the changing relationships with Australian outdoor environments
influenced by historical events and associated key social and cultural issues.

This is best done by being able to assess relationships non-indigenous Australians had across
these time periods with a specific environment to focus you- The Australian Alps!

The remainder of this work book focuses your knowledge towards this environment.

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2. For each of the time periods of listed below you need to consider how people were
starting to relate to the Australian Alps (All of the alpine areas of Australia- across NSW,
Canberra and Victoria).
For each of these you want to address P.I.I.-
 How did people “see” this environment?
 What were they “doing” in it?
 How was this “effecting” the environment?

Early non-Indigenous settlers

Key details:
 First white explorers in the Victorian Alps, 1824-25. (Hamilton Hume and William
Hovell- sent to search for new grazing land).
 1835- William Wyse establishes first cattle run at the junction of the Kiewa and Murray
rivers.
 1843- John Mitchell crosses Mt Bogong.
 All explorers reported back to the Government about how good the high country was
for grazing.
Perceptions
Interactions
Impacts

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Increasing population
Key details:
 1850- Graziers had established runs in the foot hills and flat areas surround the alps.
 1851- Victorian Goldrush sees a decade of population growth. More people need more
food- farming increases.
 1850’s – The Alps are valued for drought relief. Alpine areas remain lush and green
when the lowlands dry out over summer and through long drought
 Farmers report how areas once fertile and green quickly (within a few years of being
grazed) suffer from erosion and degraded waterways.
 1854- Explorer/botanist, Ferdinand Von Muller, documents the flora of the Alps (He
also deliberately spread blackberries as a food source for future travellers!).
 1860’s – huge number of ‘squatters’ (failed gold miners) arrive to stake claims on
farming land.
Perceptions
Interactions
Impacts

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Industrialisation
Key details:
 Late 1860’s-1870’s: Machinery (steam driven) makes mining for tin and gold in Alpine
areas possible.
 Shift in “perceptions” of the outdoors and changed work conditions sees a growth in
recreation – In the Australian Alps, hiking, horse treks and skiing start to become
popular.
 1880- Bright Alpine Club is formed (recreational club)
 Recreational use sees an increased concern about impacts of grazing. Scientists are also
starting to point out that the mountains were not suitable for continual grazing.
 1898- Mt Buffalo (Alpine area) becomes Victoria’s second National Park.
Perceptions
Interactions
Impacts

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Nation Building
Key details:
 1911- Victorian Hydro-electric commission is formed
 1940’s- Maisie Fawcett and Alec Costin (scientists) start investigating the causes and
effects of erosion in alpine areas- grazing found to be a key contributor.
 1940’s- Grazing management and stock limits put in place for alpine areas.
 1944- Maisie Fawcett contributes to the State Electricity Commissions report into how
grazing leads to siltation and erosion, which has a direct impact on hydro electric
power production.
 1956- Grazing is banned on Mt Bogong, Mt Feathertop and Mt Loch, to protect water
catchments.
 1961- Kiewa hydro scheme (started in the 1930’s) is finally finished.
 1977- Bogong National Park is established
 1981- Grazing ceases in the Falls Creek area (Bogong High Plains)
 1989- Alpine National Park is established (connecting all of the Alpine areas in South
Eastern Australia).
Perceptions
Interactions
Impacts

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Non-indigenous Australia- in Review

Early settlement
3. The following responses require students to give examples to outline the
answers.
a) Choose two interactions that early European settlers had with the outdoor
environment. Describe, using examples, what the interactions were and
explain how they were linked to the relationship the settlers had with the
land.

b) Choose one species introduced to the Australian Alps by the early European
settlers. Describe the reasons why it was introduced and explain the how the
early settlers’ relationship with the land influenced interactions such as
introduction of exotic species.

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Increasing population
4. Identify and describe some key events that led to a rapid increase in
Australia’s population.

5. Explain how Australia’s growing population resulted in significant new

interactions with the Australian Alps and the impacts this had.

6. List some of the major interactions people had with the land during the
period of increasing population and explain how these were different from
those of the early European settlers.

Industrialization
7. The changes in agricultural practices that started to occur from the
industrialization period onwards resulted a decrease in the health of inland
waterways.
Investigate and outline what interactions led to waterway damage in and
around the Australian Alps.

Waterway damage

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Nation building
8. The building of the Kiewa Hydro Electric scheme was a huge undertaking for
the Bogong High Plains.
Investigate what this project entailed and how it led to a large change in the
relationships people had with this environment that we still see evidence of
today.

For SAC 1 and the Exam…

 Know about a variety of non-indigenous relationships relevant to places you’ve visited or
studied.
 Be able to identify connections with:
- The first non-indigenous settlers
- Increasing population
- Industrialization
- Nation building

What this might look like…

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Question 8- 2017 OES exam
Name an outdoor environment that you have visited or studied this year.

Identify three historical events that have affected this outdoor environment.

Discuss how these historical events influenced changing relationships with this outdoor
environment.
Your response should include:

- the time period and a description of each event

- a link between each event and the outdoor environment
- an explanation of the changing relationships with the outdoor environment.

You should also discuss the relationships that humans now have with this outdoor environment.

(15 marks)

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