Three themes run through this work: widespread violence on the frontier; the pervasive impact of racism on colonial society; and the absolute importance of land ownership. Considered together, they provide a picture of the Australian frontier experience as it was revealed in the relations between a new white society and the Aboriginal people. This text is about the present as well as about Australian cultural heritage, as it asserts that the forces present at the birth of a new society leave a legacy so that the past is still alive.
