In the early 1800s Taroona was the territory of the Mouhenneener, one of four bands of the South East Tribe of Aboriginal Tasmanians.

They numbered about 80 people, comprising several groups of up to a dozen family members sharing a hearthfire. They camped on headlands and in sheltered coves, close to animal and plant food sources.

Their diet included crayfish and shellfish, seaweed, water rats and sea birds. On land, women gathered plant material for food, medicine and other uses, and the men hunted for larger marsupials.

Living here for many thousands of years in intimate connection with the land, the Aborigines built up a great knowledge of each plant and what it offered them.

The information about the plants on this website draws on both local records and knowledge of the plants’ use by Aboriginal people elsewhere in Tasmania and other parts of eastern Australia.

Illustration:  State Library of Tasmania