The Australian Bush is an underdeveloped area that is not as remote as the Outback. It was originally filled with bushes and native trees, and served as a habitat for native plants and animals. The area was unfamiliar to European settlers and is associated with wilderness and self-reliance. Despite its hostile conditions, the Bush supports diverse plants and animals and can support small human populations. Australians are proud of their wilderness and offer tours for visitors interested in exploring it.
The Bush is a part of Australia that is unstable and underdeveloped, but not as remote as the Outback, the huge expanse of rugged, arid land that fills much of the Australian continent. Many people have romantic associations with Bush, including Australians themselves, and the area has been popularized by art, music and film which can be seen around the world.
Many regions colonized by the British have adopted the slang term “Bush” to refer to remote and unstable areas. In many cases, the Bush was literally filled with bushes, along with native trees, and served as a rich habitat for native plants and animals. In Australia, some people lived in the area, such as Aboriginal people, and some “bushrangers”, people who lived off the land in the bush.
The Australian bush came as quite a shock to the area’s first settlers. The earliest reports of Australia came from areas near the ocean during the rainy season when Australia was lush and very hospitable. When the settlers actually arrived and began expanding, however, they encountered the hostile and brutal conditions of the area, which were completely unfamiliar to European eyes. While much of Europe’s land was heavily managed for centuries, producing a very uniform and familiar look, the bush was wild and unpredictable, despite the efforts of some settlers to “civilize” it with familiar plants and animals.
There is a connotation of wilderness and wild conditions when someone mentions “Bush” and many people associate it with fierce self-reliance and strength. In Australian culture, some people historically idolized bushrangers, impressed by their ability to maintain themselves in an apparently hostile environment. In Australia today, this area continues to be used to graze livestock, supporting cattle ranchers who may spend weeks or months at a time there, supporting themselves as they handle the animals.
While the Bush may seem hostile and unforgiving, it supports incredibly diverse plants and animals, home to some truly unique and interesting creatures. It can also be made to support small and mobile human populations, although it is not suited to the European approach to intensive and stable agriculture. Many Australians are justifiably proud of their beautiful wilderness and visitors can often find tours and other events centered around the bush if they are interested in exploring it for themselves.
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