|
|
|
  |
| A brief HISTORY of Tasmania |
|
|
| Scroll down for information about the History of Aboriginal People in Tasmania, European Settlement in Tasmania |
|
Approximately 12,000 years ago the thawing of the last Ice Age resulted in Tasmania, and its Aboriginal people, being separated from mainland Australia. The cultures of these two broad indigenous groups then diverged. The Tasmanian aborigine did not have boomerangs, seafood was their main food source and they could not make fires. Their rock art consisted of geometric designs rather than people, animals or events. Prior to European settlement it is thought that about 5,000 Aboriginal people lived in Tasmania. Their subsequent virtual annihilation is one of the most shameful aspects of Australia’s colonial past. In the early 1800s the Tasmanian Aboriginal tribes quickly realised that the Europeans settlers were stealing their land and confrontation resulted. In 1828 Governor Arthur declared martial law, expelling all Aboriginal people from areas newly settled and effectively giving the settlers a license to shoot aborigines on sight. In 1830 an armed militia of 3,000 settlers formed a ‘Black Line’ human barrier aimed at sweeping across the island and clearing it of aborigines. In 1834 the 135 aborigines who survived the Black Line obscenity were moved to Flinders Island and within 4 years most had died of disease. In 1837 the 47 remaining survivors were moved to their final settlement at Oyster Cove near Hobart. The last full blooded Tasmanian Aboriginal died there in 1876. 
The resilience of the Oyster Cove Aboriginal community helped save the race from total extinction. Additionally, Aboriginal women had been traded to European sealers since the 1790s and quite a number of these sealers settled on Bass Strait islands with the women and raised families. Today thousands of descendants of the Tasmanian Aboriginal people still live in the state. At Devonport on the north coast there is an interpretation centre for the history and present cultures and art of Aboriginal people in Tasmania - Tiagarra Aboriginal
Centre www.aboriginalartdirectory.com(Tiagarra),
pictured.
|
|
|
| Tasmania began its European Settlement phase as a harsh prison island. More evidence of its colonial past remains than anywhere else in Australia with numerous convict-built structures throughout the island.In 1642 the Dutch navigator Abel Tasman landed a party on the east coast and named it Van Dieman’s Land after the governor of the Dutch East Indies. A number of explorers arrived later including James Cook (1777), William Bligh (1788) and Matthew Flinders (1798) who circumnavigated Tasmania proving it was an island. The expedition of the frenchman Nicholas Baudin in 1802/3 propelled the British into action and settled a group of convicts by the Derwent River at Risdon. Hobart was established in 1804 and the first penal colony was established at Macquarie Harbour in 1821 and then on Maria Island and at Port Arthur. |
| Return to - Top Tasmania Summary Page Tas Regions Intro AUS GUIDE BOOK Contents Page or hit 'Back' button |
| HOME |
|
|
| Truly Australia have attempted to give an honest and objective description of the topics covered on this page and have deliberately avoided regurgitating tourist office media releases. The information shown has been compiled from a variety of reputable sources and our own experiences. We check and review this information from time to time, but we assume no responsibility for the absolute accuracy of the details given. |
