Seen through different eyes : changing land use and settlement patterns in the Upper Macquarie River Region of N.S.W., from prehistoric times to 1860

Abstract

This thesis is a study of the history of human settlement and land use in the Upper Macquarie River region of N.S.W., based on ethnhistorical literature, historical records and archaeological survey. An attempt has been made to use techniques borrowed from history, archaeology and historical geography to establish the environmental and cultural determinants of human settlement in the region. The settlement pattern and land use of the prehistoric Aboriginal culture, the early nineteenth century settlers, the squatters and the gold miners have been studied, and these have been related to environmental zoning in the region, differing economic systems, and evolving perceptions of the regional landscape. This thesis was completed and first submitted for examination in 1978. The text therefore contains no references to findings made, or literature published, after 1978. Show more