Macmillan 1975

Ancient Australia is often seen as a land of stagnation, and the early Australians were for long depicted as one of the most primitive peoples on earth. Blainey presents a different picture - one where the Aboriginals were triumphant in their discovery of the land, triumphant in their adaptation to it and in their mastery of its contrasting climates, seasons and resources. The long Aboriginal occupation of Australia witnessed spectacular changes. Generations saw the great rising of the seas which isolated Australia; they saw and probably influenced sweeping changes in vegetation and in wildlife. But far from being prisoners in a hostile environment, they created and moulded a lifestyle which suited their environment. They established a network of overland commerce; they found new medicines and drugs, they had ingenious ways of finding water in deserts; they were skilled herbalists and master trappers and hunters, and their meals in most parts of Australia were probably more varied and more assured than those of the average European of the 18th century. Their nomadic wanderings followed a logical pattern, reflecting their forethought and knowledge of the land...