The Changing Landscape

Long before humans appeared, the landscape of what is now Armidale changed only with the climatic swings of the Ice Ages, from semi-frozen moorland to the lusher forests of warmer periods. The first humans farewelled Australia's giant grazing megafauna and, with their extinction the vegetation on which they subsisted grew out of control The menace of uncontrolled wildfire meant that humans had to resort to regular burning to shape the country to their needs. The so-called 'firestick farming' of Aboriginal people kept the landscape open and grassy, the better to spear and net prey and encourage edible tubers and grass seeds, while the numerous ponds and lagoons supported migratory eels and wild fowl.