The Importance of Plants to Aboriginal People

In the Tidbinbilla area south of Canberra, a range of habitat types such as grasslands, rivers and lakes, wet and dry forests, swamps and woodlands, provided different types of food, medicines and materials to Aboriginal people. The seasons also offered a range of plants to eat. During summer, the small sweet fruits of the Cherry Ballart were eaten. In spring, young fern fronds grew and were eaten. Traditionally it was the role of women and children to collect plants and hunt small game. Digging sticks, woven baskets and wooden bowls or coolemons were their tools of trade.

• Grass Tree: Xanthorrhoea australis
• Desciption: Very, slow growing with long, grass-like leaves; flowers in spring and after fire; grows in dry sclerophyll forest on stony slopes.
• Uses: The flower spike was soaked in water to make a sweet drink; the soft white leaf bases and the growing point of the flower stem were eaten; flower stems used to make a base for a fire-drill to start a fire; some grass trees poduce resin which was used as a glue to make weapons.
• Where to see them growing:
  Xanthorrhoea Trail at Tidbinbilla.

Further examples of plant uses are listed on the following brochure, although they too are only a small sample of many that were traditionally used in the Tidbinbilla area.

Brochure on Indigenous Plant Use ( 2.2Mb)

Further Information

• Scar Trees
• Grinding Grooves 
• Rock Shelters
• Stone Artefacts and Arrangements
• Rock Art
• The Bogong Moth Story
• Aboriginal Cultural Landscape, Sites and Artefacts
• Aboriginal Connections to Country
  
  Please respect Aboriginal heritage sites and objects. It is an offence to damage, disturb or destroy Aboriginal heritage places and objects.