ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the common technique is synthesised from a range of sources across different geographical regions and time-periods. Whether tropical or temperate rainforest; North Queensland or South Tasmania; containing eucalypts, the same technique was effective. Easily taught and applicable to different environments, the technique spread quickly and widely and allowed the rapid clearance of vast areas of rainforest. To try to minimise such situations of fires running out of control, settlers in the Big Scrub left firebreaks of uncut rainforest. Once the burn was completed, the settlers raced to plant crops before the rains came, for heavy rain could create a hard crust which seedlings found difficult to penetrate or wash away the bare topsoil. South of Sydney, the principal crop was grass, to the north, it was usually maize and in Queensland, it was often sugar cane.
