For thousands of years before the white settlers arrived in Australia the only inhabitants were the Aborigines. They lived just like the Stone Age people in Europe, by hunting wild animals and gathering plant food. By doing so they learned about all the plants and animals of the country.
As the numbers of white settlers increaseed the numbers of Aborigines decreased because they were driven from their lands and many died from starvation and disease.Back to the top
Click picture to read about the first Western explorers of Australia
`Click the digerdoo to go to the fun corner and desgin your own aboriginal art
The artisitic traditions of the Aboriginal Australians are closley linked to their beliefs about the creation of the world and their mythical ancestors. Paintings on bark, stone and cave walls depict mythical heroes who lived in a time long ago called 'Dreamtime'. The Aboriginal people believe that they return to Dreamtime when they sleep. Aborigine arts also include carving, singing, chanting and spoken literature. Back to the top
