Aussie Members

[ChallengerHK]

I'm trying to get some information about Australian history. If you don't mind answering some questions, please e-mail me at spam.away@embarqmail.com. Thanks, David.

[ozrt4406]

WHAT DO YA WANT TO KNOW??? KANGAROOS CONVICTS ABORIGINES VALIANTS......??

[hemiken]

WHAT DO YA WANT TO KNOW??? KANGAROOS CONVICTS ABORIGINES VALIANTS......??

What about the meat pies and Aussie rules.....................

Just ask here, other board members may be interested to know who of us are criminals convicts aswell.  Or how big the hunting knives are we carry around compared to other Aussies.  Or you may be thinking of something intirely different

[ChallengerHK]

Thanks for the response, guys. I have no problem posting here, but I figured most of the folks on the board might find the topic dry and boring. Hope I'm wrong 

Short form: I'm looking for information about Australia's frontier experience. In 1893 a guy named Frederick Jackson Turner delivered a paper called "The Significance of the Frontier in American History." In this, he argues that the presence of the American frontier (a moving dividing line between civilization and virgin territory, and different than a European frontier, which was a fortified line between two equal powers) was the defining fact of life in the early history of the US. the frontier provided a place where the very individualistic, opportunistic and just plain curious could go to escape the more stagnant and controlled mass of humanity.

To a large extent this has led to a perception of the American West as a) being lawless, b) a place where whites rode roughshod over the natives, c) a place that tests one's mettle, and probably most importantly d) an inexorable movement across the continent.

So, how does this (both the fact and the fiction) compare to Australia? Were aborigines treated the same way as native americans? Is there a perception of lawlessness from the Australian frontier? Was there anything comparable to Manifest Destiny going on in Australia?

[hemiken]

Interesting and yet a very hard question to answer correctly.

As i am not fully imbursed with what actually happened with your Native Americans as far as the care and well being of the Native people.

In My Opinion, i can tell you that the Australian Native Aboriginals where not as advanced in their own living as compared to American Natives.  Australian Native people were living off the land when English settlement arrived, they had make shift dwellings made out of sticks and leaves as they were constantly on the move, nothing as advanced as TeePees and the organization of an American Indians camp was far supperior in every way.

Even the way the American Indian dressed was far more civilised as the Australian Natives were most of the time naked or had only an animal skin covering their genital area only. Male and Female.

As for cruelty, when the English landed they most likely showed some compassion but like in most events, the strong over power the weeker and take a strangle hold of their whereabouts. Their are good seeds and bad seeds in every moment in time and the good does prevail but at high cost to natives as the bad seeds have already done their worst and their is always bad blood between both sides for evermore.

A sad part of History that can not be reversed, no such opertunity for equal rights back in their day.

[go-fish]

I am interested in tis stuff too HK. I really enjoy learning about Australia and also New Zealand. I would be interested in hearing all the points and inquerries brought up.
I wonder if the films "Man From Snowy River" and "Quigly Down Under" provide an accurate portrayal of Frontier Australia.

Keep 'em comin Aussies!

[ChallengerHK]

Thanks for the info, hemiken.

In My Opinion, i can tell you that the Australian Native Aboriginals where not as advanced in their own living as compared to American Natives.  Australian Native people were living off the land when English settlement arrived, they had make shift dwellings made out of sticks and leaves as they were constantly on the move, nothing as advanced as TeePees and the organization of an American Indians camp was far supperior in every way.

For various reasons I've studied this topic a lot. One thing that surprised me a great deal was that Powhatan, (father of Pocahontas) was in the process of creating something of an empire along the mid-Atlantic US coast when settlers began arriving en masse. If whites hadn't arrived in force until, say, 20 years later, the US and the world might have been a much different place.

A sad part of History that can not be reversed, no such opertunity for equal rights back in their day.

From a humanitarian perspective, I agree.

A few more questions (and I'm trying to be careful of how I word these so as to not guide anyone's answers).

In Australia, did the disaffected (the loners, the extremely individualistic) head toward the frontier?

Did the movement west happen relatively quickly? (For comparison purposes, when Jefferson completed the Lousiana Purchase he claimed, probably with some hyperbole, that there was now enough land for 1,000 generations of Americans. Two generations later California was a state.)

I'm guessing from what you said that the Australian natives offered up little or no organized resistance; true?

[hemiken]

I understand your concerns with wording, still is an on going, and highly strung subject. 

As for the frontier, their was no real race as such. Land was handed out to people who where to benefit the comunity like Blacksmiths, Carpenters and so on.

Nearly zero resistance as our native Australian just did not have the knowledge like your Native Americans did.

People just followed the coast around and mainly live their. still is like that today, Central Australia is a baron land and desertless.