Amen to that, Hasbeen!

Dear Minotaur,

Thank You for listing just some of the achievements.

The following links may be of interest:

http://www.australiancollaboration.com.au/pdf/FactSheets/Common-misconceptions-Indigenous-FactSheet.pdf

http://theconversation.com/aboriginal-people-how-to-misunderstand-their-science-23835

http://theconversation.com/finding-meteorite-impacts-in-aboriginal-oral-tradition-38052

http://theconversation.com/why-our-kids-should-learn-aboriginal-history-24196

Dear Joe (Loudmouth),

Here is a link from ANU:

http://press-files.anu.edu.au/downloads/press/p70821/pdf/introduction11.pdf

Foxy,

A pity that they didn't manage to think of the wheel.

Dear Is Mise,

You stated that it was a pity that Aboriginal people
did not manage to think of the wheel. Why should they?

I've taken this from the web. There's even more on the web
if instead of insulting - you are really interested in
the subject.

There are four basic reasons that are listed:

They did not have heavy items that required being
transported over long distances.

They did not have beasts of burden (unless you imagine that
they could have harnessed several kangaroos or a few
dozen wombats - cute, but unrealistic).
They did not enslave any large numbers of people to replace
the role of the beasts of burden. And finally, the terrain
in most parts of Australia was not easily suited to the use
of a wheel without developing massive roadways which would
have been a massive undertaking without any discernible
benefit.

Furthermore, the implication that the Aboriginal people
did not understand the concept that ROUND THINGS ROLL is
highly offensive. Even slater beetles and dung beetles
understand that round things roll. Traditional Aboriginal
people understood how to live in perfect harmony with their
environment, as well as the premise that led to human powered
wing flight. They understood the fundamental effects of
force on round things. I believe if they were shown a wheel
ten thousand years ago they would have said "what a nice child's
toy."

The real question is:

"Since everyone used spears, how come not many people came up
with the woomera?"

Hi Joe, when it came to Aboriginal people being forced off their land it wasn't a matter of 'probably' it was certain. While the experiences in SA are regarded as some of less violent and more accommodating in other places it was the opposite. It even continued to happen after WW1 when white returned soldiers were given land grants. As land soon became in short supply in NSW the government 'acquired' land that had been farms run for generations by Aborigines or took Aboriginal reserves and forced the people to move.

As to the question of what may have happened if the British hadn't decided to come...well it is rather moot isn't it. However, history does show that some things were quite different about the Australian situation. Firstly, it was taken under false pretences in that it was considered by the Brits to be an empty land. I doubt other nations would have been so bold. Then there is the issue of there never being any treaties made, which is quite different from other 'colonisations', including New Zealand