Bushwalk Australia

Gariwerd: an environmental history of the Grampians is the title of a 2020 book by Benjamin Wilkie (CSIRO Publishing). It's far from being a book addressed to bushwalkers, but I found it very illuminating over a wide range of issues, many of which are at least of tangential concern to any person wanting to get a better knowledge of a place where they walk and camp.

We are still absorbing lessons from the environmental history the author discusses. He provides a wealth of detail, but always maintains a thread by which the issues can be easily understood.

I'll finish by quoting the final paragraph, which I think conveys something of the spirit which inspired the book. By the way, I have no connection whatsoever with the author or the publisher. Just wanted to bring a useful read to your attention.

As ecological threats on a global scale overwhelm what were once seemingly reliable forms of local, regional and national conservation—the national park being one key example—we have had to think carefully about the human relationship to the environment. As the history of Gariwerd shows, the ways in which humans have interacted with their environments, and changed them for better or worse, can be traced far back into history, as can the ways our thinking about nature has evolved. Understanding a past such as this can only serve to strengthen our hope and aspiration to adapt and respond to environmental change in the future.