Our VCE Environmental and Outdoor Education students are investigating Australian outdoor environments before humans, the impact of indigenous communities, European colonisation and their relationships with Australian outdoor environments. To contextualise this knowledge, our VCE students rode to Port Campbell where local historian and member of the Heytesbury and District Historical Society, Peter Younis, provided local, historical context for their queries. Peter was able to describe historical sea levels, the impact of indigenous people on our coastal vegetation and the changes that have ensued since colonisation. Students learnt about early settlers in Victoria, European history in our region, land use changes and the settlement of Timboon in the 1860 with the establishment of the railway, limeworks, farming and regional hops plantations. Land clearing, agriculture and establishment of Newfield in 1870s, the Bailey Settlement in the 1930s and the 1960s Heytesbury Settlement and their impacts on our regional environments were also discussed. Students’ questions about the treatment of indigenous communities, the settlement of Port Campbell, land use changes, and economic drivers were also reviewed. How fortunate are our students to have this local expertise so readily available? Thanks Peter! Comments are closed.
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April 2024
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