ABSTRACT
The idea that Australia is a continent full of doomed people, animals and plants is a theme that recurs over a very long time. It may be that the idea appeals, and certainly this is made explicit by some people, because it assuages guilt and provides an alibi. Tasmania is a good test case of this kind of hypothesis, and it is also something of a microcosm of Australian archaeology, and has played a significant role in discussions on Aboriginal origins. For a start, Tasmanians didn’t eat fish, so a whole range of nets and spears and other devices weren’t needed. In areas of thick vegetation, spear-throwers and boomerangs would have been of little value. There was little opportunity for processing cereal and other grains. In a rich environment a simple technology is sufficient. The absences from the ‘simplest tool kit in the world’ were a result of refining that tool kit to meet the needs of the Tasmanian environment.
