"An Internet WebQuest on Aboriginal Use of Native Plants"
Australian Aborigines managed to live successfully in Australia for 40,000 years before white man invaded, making use of what was available around them for food, medicine, shelter and utensils. The early white settlers learnt much from the local people but gradually that knowledge was lost as more familiar exotic species and alternative technologies were introduced.
http://science.uniserve.edu.au/schoo...iveplants.html