- Title
- Pathways through the desert : Coledge Harland and multiple experiences of country in the Lake Eyre Basin, 1850s–1920s
- Creator
- Bullen, Heatheranne
- Date
- 2023
- Type
- Text; Thesis; PhD
- Identifier
- http://researchonline.federation.edu.au/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/202128
- Identifier
- vital:19631
- Abstract
- Reverend Coledge Harland’s camel journeys through the Lake Eyre Basin in Central Australia in this thesis form a concise account of his sojourn as a camel patrol padre for the Australian Inland Mission (AIM) between 1919 and 1922. The journeys intersect significances in alternate timeframes as they traverse ancient pathways where events interrupted history before, after and during the research period. With this, Harland’s archive tells of his achievements but also becomes a conduit to multiple concurring and conflicting experiences. The effects of interactions are uncovered in a rich social, cultural and environmental history that considers cultural practices and adaptability, culturally distinct interactions, culture and religion. What appeared to be the journey of one man is the experiences on country of generations of people, forming a complex narrative of travel across ‘shared’ storyline pathways in the Lake Eyre Basin. Evidence for the thesis draws on Harland’s extensive private archive supported by published and public records. Underpinning the archive is 12 years of research and numerous visits to the research area. Importantly, the photographs and documents from the Harland archive form a scaffold of places, events, names and dates that unlock diverse experiences of numerous peoples on country in a much broader timeframe. First, the deep interpretation of a private archive of photographs, documents and maps penned 100 years ago by Harland forms a micro-history that fills a knowledge gap. Framing this place-based thesis is the comprehensive theory of landscape experience, complemented by Indigenous métissage that enhances the navigation of alternative worldviews. The evidence includes and highlights people, systems and organisations of national significance for numerous cultural groups. Notably, it exposes evidence of sustainable and unsustainable practices and harmony and disharmony because of previous landscape conventions. It also contributes to knowledge of life in Australia’s desert zone, the driest inhabited place on Earth, where lifestyles differ remarkably from most of the Australian population. Initially, I questioned the role of Harland and Williamson as Christian missioners in Central Australia. However, while travelling to the places they went and talking to the people there, the concerns soon turned to pride and inspiration because their work and gift involved far more than religion as this thesis will demonstrate. The memory of their involvement in Central Australia prompted the research and a commitment to the country and peoples of inland Australia. This thesis delivers a snapshot of life and landscape in central Australia exposing information on Australia’s relatively short colonial past, the deep and everpresent interconnections of Aboriginal peoples with country and the links and entanglements in the present. The thesis also highlights the importance of sustainable management of scarce resources and informs future discussions on sustainable practices across Australia in the drying climate.; Doctor of Philosophy
- Publisher
- Federation University Australia
- Rights
- All metadata describing materials held in, or linked to, the repository is freely available under a CC0 licence
- Rights
- Copyright Heatheranne Bullen
- Rights
- Restricted access by author 12 months starting 1 July 2024
- Subject
- Intercultural; Interconnections; Conflict; Entanglements; Coledge Harland; Central Australia; Camel journeys; Aboriginal peoples; Religion; Country; Landscape
- Thesis Supervisor
- Archer, Verity
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