Locating histories of bush‐based recreation in Australia

Abstract

AbstractThis article traces the historiography of bush‐based recreation in Australia. It shows how, until the 1990s, histories of bushwalking, camping, and rock climbing tended to be located within histories of national parks, places and regions, tourism, and environmentalism. The meanings attached to recreation were a secondary focus in much of this work. Stand‐alone histories of recreation have gradually emerged in the last 2 decades. These histories argue that bush‐based recreation has often played a significant role in individual lives, shaping identity, and subjectivities. More broadly, recreation has also influenced how settler Australians have engaged with the natural environment, working as a form of place making and a mode of belonging.