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One of the
first
explorers of
the Denmark
district
described a
place of
fine soil,
towering
timber and
plentiful
water.
Giving such
a
description,
Dr T Wilson
showed he
had great
expectations
for future
settlers. Dr
Wilson was
one of the
first
European men
to penetrate
the new
territory
outside the
King George
Sound
Settlement
that had
been set up
in 1826. In
1829, with
the backing
of
Commandant
Sleeman,
(Commandant
of Albany),
Wilson took
a party of
men to
explore the
interior.
Guided by
the
Aboriginal
Mokare, the
party
discovered
and named
many
geographical
features of
the Denmark
district.
Such names
as the
Denmark and
Hay Rivers,
Mt Lindesay
and Mt
Shadforth
still remain
to this day.
The Denmark
River was
named by
Wilson after
a medical
friend. The
man,
Denmark, had
played an
influential
role in
Wilson's
career.
Despite the
positive
nature of
Wilson's
reports
about
Denmark,
subsequent
exploration
by Captains
Collet
Barker and T
Bannister in
the early
1830s raised
some
unfavourable
aspects of
the
district.
Captain
Bannister
particularly,
thought that
problems
would arise
for settlers
owing to the
thickly
timbered
nature of
the land.
It is little
wonder then
that the
majority of
the early
visitors to
this region
limited
their visits
to the
coast. The
beaches of
the area,
later to be
Denmark,
were
frequented
by whalers
and sealers.
Captain
Bannister
named one of
the beaches
William Bay
after
William
Edward
Parry, an
arctic
explorer.
Visitors to
the shores
of Denmark
would have
found
evidence of
Aboriginal
habitation
in the area.
Fish traps
were built
in the form
of low stone
walls in
Wilson's
Inlet. The
Aborigines
left
reminders
such as
ochre and
dolerite
quarries.
Remains of
stone tool
making and
cooking
fires in
caves have
been found.
Aboriginal
names have
remained in
the
district,
examples
being
Mehniup,
Owingup,
Kordabup and
Nullaki.
Prior to
European
occupation
Aboriginal
tribal
groups had
travelled
extensively
throughout
the region,
supported by
their
hunting and
gathering
activities.
Their
culture and
organisation
developed
with a
strong
association
with the
land. The
structure of
their
society was
seriously
threatened
with the
arrival of
the
Europeans.
Despite
initial
friendly
relations,
contacts
with the new
settlers was
disastrous
for the
Aboriginal
population.
Many deaths
resulted
from
conflict as
well as from
exposure to
European
diseases
such as
measles,
influenza
and small
pox. There
are various
rumours
about a
taboo placed
on the
Denmark
region by
Aboriginal
people. This
may account
for the
disappearance
of the
Aboriginal
people from
the Denmark
district.
However,
this
hypothesis
has never
been proven.
The more
accepted but
equally
tragic
theory, was
that, the
many deaths
leading from
European
introduced
diseases
decimated
their
population. |
