Appendix III

Bush Travel in the Late 19th Century

Throughout this book only scant information has been given about how early colonial explorers and later bushmen — men like T.B. Moore and the first bushwalkers — both equipped themselves and coped with life in the bush. Tasmanian bushmen of the late 19th Century had to be hardy and resourceful individuals, capable of adapting to any situation that confronted them. Bush tracks were few and unreliable, and were frequently overgrown or obliterated. Many bushmen knew very little about the country that lay ahead of them. An insight into that era, and how travellers equipped themselves, is explained by Robert Johnston in his book Systematic Account of the Geology of Tasmania, published in 1888.247

The plateaus and mountain slopes in Tasmania are often so continuously clothed with a dense and luxurious growth of vegetation, that it is impossible to pursue a course in one direction for any distance without literally, axe in hand, cutting or hacking a track sufficiently wide to admit of squeezing the body through. This is not an easy matter, as each individual is encumbered with a heavy knapsack of from 50 to 70 lbs. weight … It must be sufficiently large to admit of a calico tent; blankets or an opossum rug — sufficient for sleeping accommodation; and just enough clothing for change in a country where rain has been known to fall 300 days in the year.

Johnston also described how bushmen of that time equipped themselves for ‘a four to six weeks’ campaign’ in the wild.

All luxuries must be dispensed with — the bare necessaries to maintain vitality alone can be afforded … the following are prime essentials:— Tea; sugar; a roll of bacon; onions, if possible; flour, for damper or Johnny-cakes; a tin plate and billy; pannikan; pocket prismatic compass; a small axe, or stout bill-hook; matches; needles and thread; sticking plaister … To contain all the essentials and to keep them dry, the best and usual form of knapsack in Tasmania is a wide and deep square bag, made of strong canvas, with two padded bands of the same material for slinging it between the arms and over the shoulders. A good broad leathern belt is necessary for conveniently suspending pouches for jack-knife, aneroid, note-book, and pannikan. A strong, but light and flexible pair of leathern leggings — tanned wallaby skin preferable — is also needed for protection. Thus equipped, the traveller will find that he is fortunate if the load he has to stagger under falls below 60 lbs. weight.

Although a prohibited practice today, any bush camp of the 1880s made the most of natural materials to ensure a comfortable night’s rest after a hard day afoot.

Our heavy burdens are irksome; we are very glad to throw them down and make speedy preparations for camping for the night. Each one has a special task allotted. A couple at once proceed, with the skill of old bushmen, to cut down young gum saplings, and speedily strip and shape them as poles for the three tents in use … The floor is then covered by layer after layer of the soft, springy, and aromatic leafy twigs of the gum tree; these layers are so arranged that the hard stems are concealed and cushioned by the soft leafy tops of every succeeding layer. When all is complete, a luxurious, aromatic, and naturally springy mattress is secured, upon which one of the Opossum rugs is spread out … As there are two persons to each tent, the second opossum rug serves as a blanket … Only a weary bushman knows the sweet content at the close of a day’s fatigue, and the satisfaction of the evening meal by the flaring bush fire, around which we all gather in friendly chat over the day’s collections, observations, and adventures, and in discussing tomorrow’s plans … Hard physical exercise does not admit of late hours, however, and soon our Captain’s voice is heard, ‘Boys turn in, and be ready to start at 5 a.m. … At daybreak we are all afoot, bustling, striking tents and packing up ready for the new day’s march westward, upon which we proceed without delay.

Two particularly frustrating bush obstacles confronting early travellers, horizontal scrub (Anodopetalum biglandulosum) and bauera (Bauera rubioides), are given a colourful description by Johnston.

The Horizontal is known to grow over 60 ft in length. Its peculiar habit — to which it owes its name and fame — is for the main stem to assume a horizontal and drooping position after attaining a considerable height, from which ascend secondary branches which in turn assume the same horizontal habit … All the lower labyrinth is thickly encased in soft, springy, luxuriant mosses, dripping with moisture. The woody interlacing branches, even when not an inch in diameter, will bear the weight of a man laden with his knapsack; but woe betide the luckless wight, who, while travelling through this scrub, treads on the treacherous mossy disguised twig or branch which has decayed. Should this not infrequent case happen, down to unknown depths he may drop, while the green treacherous mossy carpet springs into its place like a trap, concealing the engulphed explorer.

The Bauera scrub is met with in the wet flats along the stream courses … Although the branches are thin and wiry they are tough and too much entangled in mass to cut, and the only mode of progress often is to throw one’s self high upon the soft branching mass and roll over to the other side … On two occasions the writer rolled bodily into mountain streams of considerable force. In one case he narrowly escaped drowning, owing to the knapsack having toppled over his head … luckily he was swept on to a shallow shingly bank, where he managed to extricate himself from the encumbering knapsack of 60 lbs weight.