High Lean Country captures the rich history and haunting character of the New England region of northern New South Wales.The authors explore how memory - of land, of family, of patterns of life on the other side of the world - has influenced the identity of New England. They also consider how the high country itself has shaped its people and their sense of regional uniqueness. In doing so, this book sets a new direction for understanding Australia as a whole.Weaving together the histories of human settlement, economic, social and cultural development, as well as interactions with the environment, High Lean Country shows how colonial settlers strived for decades to literally create a new England. It traces the story of the graduates of Oxford and Cambridge who turned their hands to sheep husbandry and developed a squattocracy, the establishment of schools and other institutions, and the cultivation of traditional arts. It also examines the early colonial bushranging period, and a history of not always friendly relations between white settlers and the local Aboriginal population.A project of the Heritage Futures Research Centre at the University of New England, High Lean Country is a fascinating study of this distinctive Australian high country.

South of My Days' - Judith WrightNote on Aboriginal Language NamesPrelude: Uplands Always Attract - J.S. Ryan1. What is New England? - Alan AtkinsonPART 1: PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT2. The Rocks Beneath - Bob Haworth3. Sunshine, Snow, Wind and Rain - Jack Hobbs and Alan Atkinson4. Wildlife - Peter Jarman and Karl Vernes5. The Vegetated Landscape - Peter Clarke6. Land and Livelihood - Nick Reid and Lewis Kahn PART 2: FIRST PEOPLES7. Seeing Red: Musings on Rock Art - June Ross8. Aboriginal Archaeology - Wendy Beck9. The Frontier - David Andrew Roberts10. Aboriginal People and Pastoralism - Rodney Harrison11. Aborigines and Citizens - Matthew JordanPART 3: NEWCOMERS12. Passing Through - Martin Auster13. Colonial Settlement - Alan Atkinson and John Atchison14. Homesteads - Jillian Oppenheimer15. Schools - Bruce Mitchell and Jean Newall