Taming the Great South Land: A History of the Conquest of Nature in AustraliaTaming the Great South Land is a profound new history of Australia. It tells the story of two centuries of European settlement from the point of view of the land and its indigenous people. Taming the Great South Land is a powerful and pioneering study and, in the tradition The Fatal Shore, is compelling reading. William Lines combines environmental, social and political history to record 200 years of implacable exploitation of nature. He traces how the Enlightenment ideas of progress, economic growth and development were transported to Australia and employed in the conquest of nature. From the early slaughter of seals, through land settlement and the gold rushes to British nuclear tests and the modern mining and timber industries, the results of the conquest are written on our landscape. They have been felt most keenly by the indigenous population of the continent. But this is not a uniquely Australian story: its pattern runs through the history of the developed countries of the world. Taming the Great South Land is an epic saga of the human impact on the Australian environment. |
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Contents
Terra Incognita 4 | 14 |
No Eden | 27 |
A camping ground for profit | 54 |
Dark deeds in a sunny land | 88 |
To the firing line | 127 |
An undeveloped enterprise | 163 |
World quarry | 196 |
Not by conquest | 232 |
Epilogue | 271 |
303 | |
Illustration credits | 319 |
Other editions - View all
Taming the Great South Land: A History of the Conquest of Nature in Australia William J. Lines No preview available - 1999 |
Common terms and phrases
Aborigines agricultural American animals authority Banks became began believed British build bush capital century civilisation claimed clearing coast colony conquest conservation construction continued convicts destruction early earth economic Empire environment established European existence exploitation farm farmers fell fire followed forced forest formed future groups hectares human increased industry interests irrigation Island kangaroos killed kilometres labour land landscape later living London March means Melbourne ment million mining Minister months native nature never numbers percent plans plants police political politicians population Press Prime production profit progress protest Queensland rabbits remained River scheme scientific seals settled settlement settlers sheep social society soil South Wales species squatters supply Sydney tion trees United University vast Western Australia whales