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Introduction

Plants have played an important role in the lives of the Aboriginal people of south-eastern Australia for many thousands of years. In the Southern Tablelands of NSW and the ACT, the land covers a wide range of ecological communities and many plant species were most likely important for food, medicines, shelter, utensils, tools and weapons throughout the year.

Although there is a lot of information available on Aboriginal plant use for many other regions of Australia, the recorded information for much of south-eastern Australia is minimal. For the NSW Southern Tablelands, there is very little relevant, ethnohistorical or archaeological material and so it is not possible to give a complete and accurate account of traditional plant use for this region.

The main purpose of this webpage is to bring together ethnobotanical information relating to plant species which occur in the NSW Southern Tablelands and ACT and which also have been recorded as resources for nearby Aboriginal groups in Western & Southern NSW, Victoria and other regions. From this data it is possible to suggest which species may have been utilised by local Aboriginal people. Some coastal plants which are not endemic to this area have been included because it is likely that people may have known them from their travels. Generally, this webpage uses published information relating to areas from which it is possible to provide a realistic although partial view of Aboriginal plant use in the NSW Southern Tablelands region. More research involving local Aboriginal people could provide valuable insights into local knowledge and practices.

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