Before the invasion Aboriginal people created a complex system of land management. There was no ‘pristine wilderness’ as many explorers thought, but rather a patchwork of burnt and re-grown areas. Fire was the biggest ally of Aboriginal people.

In using fire Aboriginal people could plan and predict plant growth and with it attract animals for hunting. They converted the land to grasslands for the “maintenance” of animals, plants and fresh drinking water.

Aboriginal people not only thought of kangaroos when laying out their burn patterns, but also of possums, wombats, birds, insects, reptiles and plants. Burn patterns also need to consider plant cycles and prevent the grasslands from overgrowing again.

Researchers found that Aboriginal people grew crops of tubers such as yams, grain such as native millet, macadamia nuts, fruits and berries. People reared dingoes, possums, emus and cassowaries, moved caterpillars to new breeding areas and carried fish stock across country.

There is “strong evidence” of “sophisticated farming and agriculture practices”. Early explorers watched women harvesting yams, onions, and cultivating the land, creating reserves of flour and grain.

The researchers were also impressed by how fast the rainforest claimed back burnt areas. It showed the “enormous workload” Aboriginal people had to stem to keep the grasslands open.