4. Tasmanian Midlands - To The Rescue/Help At Hand

Aboriginal Engagement

The continued connection of the palawa people with the land and its management is essential to the healthy survival of the Midlands. The first Tasmanians farmed and managed the landscape for over 35,000 years-over 200 generations,  maintaining a healthy ecosystem of Tasmania's plants and animals. 

Aboriginal immersion days and community field days with Aboriginal elders have focussed on bringing young Aboriginal children and their families and friends to be on Country in the footsteps of the local Tyerrernotepanner (Stony Creek) people.

Aboriginal students visited an Aboriginal stone quarry at Beaufront. Aboriginal leader Dave Gough walked through open woodland and  identified food plants,and  tracks and scats. They threw spears, built shelters, danced and cooked wallabies over a campfire with their elders. The palawa students spotted a two-metre stacked eagle’s nest in an old growth tree over three hundred years old,  they found deep wombat holes, evidence of habitat before European arrivals. The deep connection of this experience, acknowledged the close Aboriginal relationship with this Midlands country. They saw dead trees and the lack of understorey species and fire damage from a huge bushfire two years previously.  They talked about traditional owners’ careful management of fire, plants, and game and shared their experiences with non-Aboriginal students back at school. They all came together to plant for the future. 

“Sharing our deep-time connections in our cultural heritage sites and our knowledge systems of caring and shaping country has been a very important way for us all to find the best ways to regain a healthier landscape. These include traditional Aboriginal cultural burning. Through collaborations with all stakeholders in the regeneration process we can make a positive change to such a heavily impacted landscape (Gough)  informing restoration ecology for the future. 

Current damage to the integrity of this biodiverse community with a lack of understorey species on one site was evidenced. Fire damage from a huge bushfire two years previously was another obvious feature of environmental degradation. The fragmentation of the landscape of the biodiversity hotspot was identified by Menna Jones from the University who shared the scientific strategies of her research team to identify an animal centric research model. In this context students contemplated the future, planting shrubs and trees. These plants were grown from local seed and gifted by city students as well as plants grown by the farmer. The impact of climate change affecting the health of the landscape was discussed.”

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the original owners, the Palawa people and the use and crossing of the Midlands where we meet with our partners to share, learn and raise awareness about the land: ​

Paredarerme nation people, Laremairremener and Poredareme tribes, Luggermairrerpairrer tribe and the Tyrrernotepanner tribe​