Family group in front of rough bush dwelling

1870's

This is a slab hut construction with a bark roof. A slab hut is made from slabs of split or sawn timber, often, in Australia, in a vertical construction. Timber was split along the grain and used green not seasoned.

Learn about the construction of other buildings in the 1800's.

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Bush craft

I have neither friend nor loved one
To welcome me, nor home;
And lonely through the wide world
As stranger I must roam;
I know not where tomorrow
To procure my daily bread,
And tonight the waving branches
Must canopy my head.

FROM 'I FEEL THAT I AM FREE  by the convict and bushranger Owen Suffolk

The Australian bushrangers needed to survive in the rough terrain of the natural environment and move around in it frequently. They used the bush as a refuge to hide from authorities.  They would have benefited greatly by knowledge and use of survival skills which came to be called bush craft. The Oxford English Dictionary definition of bush craft is "skill in matters pertaining to life in the bush".

The skills of bush craft include fire making, tracking, hunting, fishing, shelter building, foraging for food and wood carving. These are the kinds of skills well known to our ancient ancestors who lived on the land in all parts of the world.

Many bush craft skills are still practiced today, as an everyday skill, amongst aboriginal and native peoples around the world.  
                                                                                                                                                                



Miniature bow drill kit for lighting a fire.