The changing dietary habits of nineteenth‐century Australian explorers

Abstract

In the first decade of white settlement in New South Wales, ground exploration was limited by the critical shortage of horses and the inability to live off the land. Bush skills were lacking and muskets were extremely inaccurate. Subsequently, the introduction of kangaroo dogs, the willingness to consume even the least appetising animals, and the identification of edible native plants made explorers less dependent on what they could carry. Such skills were to become largely irrelevant after 1840, as fully mounted expeditions began to penetrate the interior, where game was scarce and there was no time for hunting.

Key Words:

• Australia
• exploration
• Aborigines
• self‐sufficiency
• kangaroos
• native food
• preservation of meat
• psychological adjustment
• adaptability
• horses
• camels