The Australian Bush

The bush has an iconic status in Australian life
and plays a large part in Australia’s national
identity, especially as expressed in literature,
painting, popular music, films and foods. Many
myths and legends have begun in the bush.
Bushrangers tracking abilities, are seen as
miraculous and have become legendary in the
minds of European Australians. Their knowledge
of the land, at the core of their spiritual beliefs, is
expressed in stories, arts and performance -
music, songs, dance and in ceremonies.

Predators are arguably the most dangerous hazards in the Australian bush
and cause the most deaths out there in the wild. Many animals have
chosen to make the bush their prime habitat because of three main
reasons: the first one is that it is very hot in the Australian daytime and
very cold in their nights making it perfect for both animals who prefer the
sun and nocturnal animals who prefer the cold nights; another reason is
that there are many plants and shrubs naturally in the Australian bush
which animals like to eat and my final reason is that there is little human
interference unlike many other places where we have revolutionised their
habitat to better fit us.

Here are some examples of predators
living in the Australian bush…
Danger rating 10/10:
Box Jellyfish
Jellyfish account for more than 80 known deaths since 1883. The
box jellyfish (pictured) was responsible for 79 deaths, and Irukandji
the other two. Both jellyfish have tentacles that are generally
invisible, can entangle you and have millions of harpoons that inject
a lot of venom at once. The box jellyfish can kill in minutes.
Danger rating 9/10:
Honey Bee
As with European wasps, the 1.5cm European honey bee, as
unassuming as its seems, is highly dangerous to those who have
allergies to their venom. Unlike wasps, however, bees leave their
stinging barb inserted in their victim, along with a sack of venom.
This detaches from the bee, killing it. Native Australian bees are
much smaller and often don't sting unlike the introduced species.
Allergies to the venom are responsible for more annual average
deaths than sharks, spiders or snakes separately. Less than three per
cent of Australians are allergic to bee or wasp venom.

Irukandji
Carukia barnesi, the so-called common Irukandji, is responsible for most stings. This
juvenile has a body about 5-7mm long. Thirty minutes after a mild sting, an irukandji
sting can include many agonising symptoms sometimes even life threatening. This
jellyfish is very unpredictable due to its invisibility.
Danger rating 8/10:
Bull Shark
The bull shark is commonly found worldwide in warm, shallow waters along coasts
and in rivers. The bull shark is known for its aggressive nature, liking for warm
shallow water, and presence in both saltwater and freshwater systems including
estuaries and rivers. Although there have been few recorded freshwater attacks, they
are probably responsible for the majority of near-shore shark attacks, including many
attacks attributed to other species.
Eastern Brown Snake
The Eastern brown snake is found throughout the eastern half of mainland Australia.
Fast-moving, aggressive and known for their bad temper, eastern brown snakes,
together with other browns, are responsible for more deaths every year in Australia
than any other group of snakes. Not only is their venom ranked as the second most
toxic of any land snake in the world (based on tests on mice), they thrive in
populated areas, particularly on farms in rural areas with mice. If disturbed, the
eastern brown raises its body off the ground, winding into an 'S' shape, mouth gaping
open and ready to strike. Its venom causes progressive paralysis and stops the blood
from clotting, which may take many doses of antivenom to reverse. Victims may
collapse within a few minutes.

Saltwater crocodile -Also known as estuarine crocodiles.)
Each year there are 1-2 known deaths from saltwater crocodiles (as well as
4-10 non-fatal attacks), usually highly publicised due to their viciousness and
aggression. The longest croc ever measured and verified was 6.4m (21ft). It
could have weighed more than 1000kg. In Australia, there are unverified
reports of crocs up to 8m.
Sydney Funnel-Web Spider
With highly toxic venom produced in large amounts and large fangs to inject
it, the Sydney funnel-web is without a doubt the deadliest spider in
Australia, and possibly the world. Though just 1.5-3.5cm big, the Sydney
Funnel-web has fangs larger than a brown snake's and so powerful they can
even pierce through nails and toenails. Their venom has a compound that
can attack the human nervous system and alter the functioning of all organs
and, when coming from a male, can kill. One in six bites causes a severe
reaction, but since the antivenom has been made available, in 1981, no
fatalities have been recorded.
Danger rating 7/10:
Blue-ringed Octopus
The blue-ringed octopus has blue blood, three hearts and enough poison to
kill 26 humans. The same nerve toxins injected by a blue-ring are found in
the flesh of fugu fish - a pricey delicacy beloved by the Japanese. The
ingestion of fugu that's not been expertly prepared leads to more
hospitalisations than blue-ringed octopus bite. The blue-ringed octopus has
only been attributed with causing three known deaths, but there have been
no deaths since the 1960s and hospital admissions are exceedingly
uncommon.

Many people get lost in the Australian bush, even Australians who
have been living there for years.
This can cause you to lose the little shelter you have and any thing
else. Also, you could walk straight into danger, for example you
might stumble into an animals resting place or you might eat a
plant you don’t recognise and later find out is it poisonous.
However, if you take the right precautions, you should be fine.
Firstly, never go out when it is dark (as you could trip or disturb a
nearby predator). Moreover, if you do have to leave, always leave a
sign you will recognise like a large rock marked with your initials.
Finally, always leave a trail when you go made of pebbles, fruit
peels, marks on trees or another method.
Although this tip sounds like it is from a story
book, it really does work!

Heat and the lack of water is a major
problem out in the bush.
Your body can survive roughly 3 days without
water, but this can vary.
To prevent a dehydration-caused death,
make sure that the first thing you do when
landing, it finding a safe, reliable water
source. Try to find one not containing
crocodile, but if this does happen, try and
distract it with some meat that you would
have to hunt. Carry the water back in empty
fruit shells like coconut shells, so you can
contain as much as possible.

Believe it or not, a coconut falling on your head and killing you is ten times
more likely than dying from a shark attack.
The force of the coconut as it hits the ground is equivalent in weight to a
ton. Or, looking at it a different way, if it did fall, it would have the same
effect as a Austin Mini falling from about a foot and a half above your
head.
There are no reliable records on this subject but it is estimated that every
year about 150 people die as a direct cause of this. This number isn’t as
high as it could be if it is taken into account that there are millions of
people living amongst palm trees but, take note, it’s still ten times higher
than the number of people who die each year from shark attacks!
So if don’t want a coconut to fall on your head, do not sit under a coconut
tree!

The Australian climate is generally hot and humid
throughout, but especially in the South.
It has been announced that since the 21st century, the
average climate has been rising in Australia due to Global
Warming. A carbon was introduced in 2011, but this has
made very little difference.
This hot climate can cause skin burn and can give you
headaches and dizziness –especially if you haven’t eaten.
To prevent damage from the sun, you must try to stay in a
shaded area (eg. under a tree) for most of the day.
Because of this, bushfires are also very common, so if
suspect one might be starting, just find a place far out of
the way of it.

The weather patterns in the Australian bush are
not as predictable as you may think.
Although most days are hot, on some odd days, it
can be quite rainy or windy.
To prevent yourself from catching a cold, you
have to find or even make shelter. For example,
you could make a tent or tepee-like shelter out
of many sticks and then cover it with leaves to
make it waterproof. Or, you try and find a cave.

Music and dance are integral to Aboriginal culture, be they in traditional
forms or the more contemporary styles of today.
Traditional Aboriginal music is very recognisable from the classic sound of
didgeridoo (instrument) combined with the tribal beat of clapping sticks.
Indigenous music is sung in different dialects from the many clans across
the region and displays themes of nature and folklore from the
Dreamtime.
Despite the great variety of song types from different areas, there are
some common underlying features. Traditional songs are usually specific
to local areas, often referencing local geographic features particular local
animal species, historical events or the social environment.
In a ceremonial context, songs are seen as having a non-human origin. Old
songs, evoking powerful Dreaming stories, are said to be created by the
Dreaming beings themselves have as they created the country in its
present form. New songs may also be dreamed by individuals. The song
text can evoke a complex web of associations and meaning for people who
have extensive and specific local knowledge of country.

Dance is a unique aspect of ceremonies which is learnt and passed down from
one generation to another.
To dance is to be knowledgeable about the stories of the ancestral heroes.
Dancing, unlike painting and singing, is learnt at an early age. This allows large
groups of people to demonstrate their clan rights in front of an audience.
Dance is also seen as an occasion to entertain and to be entertained and
through the work of dance to show their love for families and kin. It is for this
reason that dance may be performed at the end of every day in some
communities
Dance in Australia includes a very broad variety of styles, from Indigenous
Australian to the traditional Australian bush dance and from classical ballet,
and ballroom dancing to contemporary dance and multicultural dance
traditions from the 200 national backgrounds represented in Australia.
Traditional dancing can involve anything from mimicking kangaroos and birds
to hunting with spears.

Aboriginal art is based on important ancient stories: even contemporary Aboriginal
art, is based on stories (Jukurrpa) and symbols centred on 'the Dreamtime' – the
period in which Indigenous people believe the world was created. The Dreamtime
stories are up to and possibly even exceeding 50,000 years old, and have been
handed down through the generations virtually unchanged for all those years.
Aboriginal art also stands as a written language: Aboriginal art is a major part of
the unwritten 'encyclopaedia' of being an Aboriginal person and as such it may
have many layers of meaning. Australian Aboriginal people have no written
language of their own, and so the important stories central to the people's culture
are based on the traditional icons (symbols) and information in the artwork, which
go hand in hand with recounted stories, dance or song, helping to pass on vital
information and preserve their culture.
It includes works in a wide range of media including painting on leaves, wood
carving, rock carving, sculpting, ceremonial clothing and sand painting.
The paintings are usually used with dark, earthy colours like dark brown, light
brown, orange, red, etc.
Also in Aboriginal art there are also aboriginal masks. Aboriginal Masks are made
of colourful dots and are long and thin

To this day, ceremonies play an important part in Aboriginal life. Small ceremonies,
or rituals, are still practised in some remote parts of Australia, such as in Arnhem
Land and Central Australia, in order to ensure a supply of plant and animal foods.
These take the form of chanting, singing, dancing or ritual action to invoke the
Ancestral Beings to ensure a good supply of food or rain.
The most important ceremonies are connected with the initiation of boys and girls
into adulthood. Such ceremonies sometimes last for weeks, with nightly singing
and dancing, story telling, and the display of body decoration and ceremonial
objects. During these ceremonies, the songs and stories connected to each of the
Ancestral Beings are told and retold, some being “open” for women and children
to see and hear, others being restricted or “secret-sacred”, only for the initiates to
learn.
Funeral ceremonies- Another important time for ceremonies is on the death of a
person, when people often paint themselves white, cut their own bodies to show
their remorse for the loss of their loved one, and conduct a series of rituals, songs
and dances to ensure the person’s spirit leaves the area and returns to its birth
place, from where it can later be reborn.

Aboriginal religion, like many other religions, is characterised by having a
god or gods who created people and the surrounding environment during
a particular creation period at the beginning of time. Aboriginal people are
very religious and spiritual, but rather than praying to a single god they
cannot see, each group generally believes in a number of different deities,
whose image is often depicted in some tangible, recognisable form. This
form may be that of a particular landscape feature, an image in a rock art
shelter, or in a plant or animal form.
Aboriginal people do not believe in animism. This is the belief that all
natural objects possess a soul. They do not believe that a rock possesses a
soul, but they might believe that a particular rock outcrop was created by
a particular deity in the creation period, or that it represents a deity from
the Creation Period. They believe that many animals and plants are
interchangeable with human life through re-incarnation of the spirit or
soul, and that this relates back to the Creation Period when these animals
and plants were once people.

In the northern parts of Australia the Aboriginal people rarely wear
clothes and usually cover their bodies with paintings.
The Aboriginal people often use bark, grass and leaves to cover their
bodies. The men wear a riji and this is an item of clothing that goes
around their waist. It is tied together by grass and leaves.
In the cooler parts of Australia the Aboriginal people wear possum
cloaks. These are made by combining several possum skins together.
Most of their clothing consists of animal skins. The skins are usually
rubbed with fat and this provides extra warmth during the colder
nights. Animal skins are also used as blankets and bedding.
The Aborigines do wear various kinds of personal ornaments such as
arm and head bands, necklaces, and bracelets. These are usually
made from shells, bones, animal teeth and claws, or bits of feather
and fur.

Most of Australia has a very hot climate and people often sleep out in the open. To
keep themselves warm at night they sleep close to fires.
Aboriginal housing mostly consists of simple shelters made from branches and
then covered with leaves and sheets of bark. The Aboriginals are dependant on
the materials that they can get from the land. In some places soft paperbark is
easily pulled off trees to make a shelter. In other places there are only branches
and leaves that can be used.
In the wet and cold conditions, closed dome-shaped shelters are made. Sticks are
bent over and bark, grass and leaves are used to cover the shelter.
In the northern areas of Australia, the shelters are often larger in size. The shelters
often have multiple entrances and are big enough for a small fire to be made
inside. The fires provide warmth and are also used to repel mosquitos.
In other areas of Australia the Aboriginals find rock caves to live in. They use
paperbark and leaves to make their beds.

The main form of transport amongst traditional
Indigenous people was walking. Because the
Indigenous lifestyle was nomadic, people had to
do a lot of walking to get from place to place.
Those Indigenous groups that lived near the coast
or large bodies of water would often travel in
canoes that they had made from hollowed out
tree trunks. These canoes were very helpful in
fishing activities, as well as for travelling around.

Plants can have many uses including medical uses, constructional
uses and they can also be used as a food source.
Here are some of the many useful plants found in the Australian
bush that you could as a material, for making things or for eating…
Grasses: Bulrush
Shrub: Bungwall Fern, Pink Fingers Orchid, Flax Lillies, Native Cherry,
Geebung, Shrub, Bracken Fern
Wild Parsnip
Tree: Wattles, Creek sandpaper fig, Banksias, Common lilly pilly grass
tree
Vine: Wattles , Common lilly pilly, Banksias, Creek sandpaper fig, Grass
tree, Common apple berry, Devil’s twines, Wombat berry, scrambling
lilly, Morinda, Native passion fruit, Molucca bramble

An animals meat or fur, can be very useful, however it can be difficult to hunt. Some
uses are for distracting predators, making clothing or –the most common- for eating.
Here are some examples…
Australian Bilby
Camels in Australia
Cane Toads in
Australia
Australian Crocodiles
Australian Dingo
Echidna
Grey Kangaroo
Red Kangaroo
Australian Snakes
Tasmanian Devil
Tree Kangaroo
Koala
Australian Lizards
Numbat
Platypus
Possum
Quokka
Rabbits in Australia
Australian Sea Lion
Great White Shark
Hairy-nosed wombat
Australian Bilby
Australian Dingo
Quokka
Rabbits in Australia
Hairy-nosed wombatTasmanian Devil

Wood- From trees. Can be used for shelter, footwear and
can be carved to make other useful objects. Bark, leaves,
twigs and sticks can also be used.
Stones/rocks- Can be used as a sculpting tool, knife and
as a protective weapon against predators.
Mud- When wet with water, can be used as a glue and will
later dry. Also can be used as a camouflage from predators or
a protective cover.
Fruit peels and nut shells- Can be used to carry
water (ie. Coconut shells) or for comfort in footwear (ie. Soft
peels from fruits).

Hunter-gatherer lifestyle
Before European settlement Aboriginal people led a nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyle.
Traditional Aboriginal groups had deep knowledge of their land, sources of water, and the
affects of seasonal cycles on plant foods and game. Early explorers observed that people
were lean and healthy.
Dietary diversity
The Aboriginal diet is varied and rich in nutrients. The diversity of food supply is affected
by geographical landform, climate and season. Most early observers described a variety
and abundance of both animal and plant foods, even in the arid zone.
Division of labour
Foraging parties gather enough food for their immediate needs and food is not often
stored. Both men and women play an important role. Women hunt and gather in groups
(with the children) and provide highly reliable foods such as: small marsupials, shellfish,
reptiles, insects, honey, eggs and plant foods. Men mainly hunt alone or in pairs for larger
animals such as mammals, birds, reptiles and fish.
Meat in the diet
There is increasing evidence that in tropical, savannah, coastal and desert areas diets
were meat orientated. Besides those foods mentioned above, other important animal
sources such as eggs, frogs, honey ants and some grubs have also been recorded.

Plant foods
Vegetable foods provided an important supplement rather than an alternative to animal
foods. Proportions changed throughout the seasons.
A few plant staples were eaten often. These included yams, bush tomatoes, fig and
quandong fruits, corms of bush onion, wild orange truffles, gall nuts of the mulga apple
or bloodwood apple and the seeds from some grasses.
Bush vegetables, seeds and fruits are very rich in vitamins and minerals. The green
plum, for instance, has the highest concentration of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) of any
known plant (1 000-5 300mg/100g). Seeds of acacia species are high in the essential
oils, linoleic and oleic acids.
Meal Patterns
The quality and quantity of food consumed varies greatly from day to day. Larger
animals were shared among group members. During times when a lot of meat was
available people ate large quantities at one time. It has been argued that these 'feasts'
provided excess energy which was stored as fatty tissue to cover periods of relative
shortage of food.
Children are breast fed until approximately three years of age. The age of weaning
depends on the birth of the next child. Solids are introduced when the baby has teeth.

Food Preparation
There is minimal processing and storage of food, no overcooking, and no
leaching of vitamins and minerals in cooking water. Many plant foods are eaten
raw. Fruits, bulbs, nectar and gums are often eaten straight after picking. Some
vegetables are cooked to make them taste better. Tree, grass and water lily seeds
are often made into a damper which is baked in hot sand and ashes.
Traditional law often influences the way that animals are cooked. Meat is eaten
rare, usually at one sitting and there is little wastage. Smaller animals are baked
in hot sand and ashes, either directly or wrapped in bark and leaves. Large bones
are broken and marrow extracted. Smaller bones are chewed or even pounded
and eaten.
Food distribution
Foods are proportioned and distributed according to traditional law. Strict
cultural practices are determined by kin obligations. Sharing food has a social
purpose and is important to the strengthening of relationships. Distribution is
also associated with ceremonies or 'righting a wrong'. In some areas older men
receive the choice cuts of meat and the remainder of an animal is distributed
according to age and status.

Firstly, find a reliable water source.
Never sit under a coconut tree!
Avoid predators.
Try to hunt small animals like rabbits.
Try to find or make shelter before the first night.
Don’t ever go out when it is dark as you may get lost.
When you leave, make sure to create a trail.
Sit in shaded areas to avoid dehydration.
Find fruits from trees to eat.
If you get injured, clean wound with saltwater and wrap long leaves around as you
would with a bandage.
Clean your clothes in a lake regularly.
Don’t roam too far away from your shelter.
Always drink plenty of water!
Keep warm at night by using animal fur to use as a blanket.

7:00am- Wake up and mark another day on a nearby tree so you don’t lose track of
time. You should have some spare fruit from yesterday but if not, you will have to find
some. When doing this, make sure you take the following items: a sharp rock or stick
(to use in case you come across a predator or you see prey); take something to eat,
just to be careful, in your pockets or attached to your waist (to eat if you get lost) and
long leaves (if you get hurt, you can use them as a bandage). On the way, make sure
you mark the trees you pass with your initials so you don’t get lost. Don’t go too far.
Find a coconut tree and grab 3 from the ground where they have fallen. Attach them
to your waist using a few of the long leaves you brought. Crack one coconut now on
the ground and eat it on the spot. Now make your way back, looking out for prey.
When you see a rabbit, be very quiet and try creep up on it. When you are close
enough, hide behind the nearest tree. Then pounce. Use your sharpened rock or twig.
Tie the rabbits legs up with a few leaves and then attach to your around your neck,
shoulder or waist. Now, go to your nearest water source. Wait for a few minutes by
the side, to make sure that there are no crocodiles in there. Then fill your empty
coconut shell from early with water. Also drink as much as you can hold. If you have
any scratches from the rabbit, clean it with this water. Finally, make your way bake to
your shelter…

12:00pm- When you arrive home, put your rabbit meat in a cool shaded area like in a
cave or under a tree and wrap it in leaves to keep the meat fresh and animals off.
12:20pm- Now, try to light a fire. To do this you have to find to sticks and rub them
together quickly. If this doesn’t work, try using rocks instead. Then add plenty more
sticks.
12:35pm- Once your fire has lighten, it is time to skin your rabbit. To do this, you need
to find your Sharpened stick/rock from earlier and re-sharpen it using a rock. Then
chop the head off the rabbit. Make a small cut on the back of your rabbit, enough for
you to put your fingers under the fur. Next, pull the fur in opposite directions and the
fur should slip off like a jacket. Keep this fur somewhere safe like in your shelter.
Tomorrow you can wash it and make something out of it. Cut the feet off the rabbit as
they have no meat. Then, cut the legs off the rabbit and put the rest of the rabbit in
your shaded area, wrapped in leaves.
1:30pm- Now your fire should have died down and the ashes should be the only
things that remain. Place your rabbit legs in the other coconut half from earlier and
put it on top of the ashes to cook.
2:00pm- Your rabbit should be ready so now its time to prepare the vegetables from
yesterday whilst the rabbit cools down. You should have some veg from yesterday left
including different shrubs and leaves. Rip these up but don’t cook them because we
don’t want to lose any nutrients. Eventually, it is time to eat.
3:00pm- For dessert, have half a coconut and wrap the other half in leaves.
3:30pm- Now, you can carry on working on the weaved shoe you are making.
6:00pm- Its time to prepare for going to bed. Don’t leave anything out, pack it all into
your shelter. Put your sharpened stick/rock next to your bed in case of an emergency.
7:00pm- It should be getting dark now, so go to bed.

The Australian Bush

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