tasview.com
Butchers Hill Cave, Richmond
The Coal River valley was part of the territory of the Oyster Bay/Big River or Merrimeneer people. They were the largest of the Island’s nations and occupied much of central Tasmania from the Central Plateau to the east coast. The valley was a particularly benign environment for hunter-gatherers. The enfolding hills gave shelter from the more rigorous climate of the highlands. Repeated firing of the vegetation kept the grasslands clear of entangling undergrowth facilitating hunting for the abundant wallabies, emu and wombat. The land near the future site of Richmond was doubly valuable. It was the most southerly point where it was easy to ford the river on journeys to and from the east coast. The river provided water birds and a permanent supply of fresh water even in the driest summer. It was probably the site of semi-permanent summer camps from where hunting expeditions ranged across the nearby hills.
www.tasmaniashistoryhouse.com.au/richmond/
Butchers Hill Cave, Richmond
The Coal River valley was part of the territory of the Oyster Bay/Big River or Merrimeneer people. They were the largest of the Island’s nations and occupied much of central Tasmania from the Central Plateau to the east coast. The valley was a particularly benign environment for hunter-gatherers. The enfolding hills gave shelter from the more rigorous climate of the highlands. Repeated firing of the vegetation kept the grasslands clear of entangling undergrowth facilitating hunting for the abundant wallabies, emu and wombat. The land near the future site of Richmond was doubly valuable. It was the most southerly point where it was easy to ford the river on journeys to and from the east coast. The river provided water birds and a permanent supply of fresh water even in the driest summer. It was probably the site of semi-permanent summer camps from where hunting expeditions ranged across the nearby hills.
www.tasmaniashistoryhouse.com.au/richmond/