Unearthing the Invisible People

The first major industries in what would become the colony of South Australia were the closely inter-related ones of sealing and whaling. Official European settlement of South Australia began in 1836, but for many years previously, small numbers of Europeans frequented, and sometimes lived on, its coastline and offshore islands. The activities of these men are largely unrecorded, and even less is known of the contributions of European women and children and Aboriginals. Archaeologists like ourselves are currently trying to learn more about these invisible people, and this article combines our discoveries with the evidence from the historical record. The study of European women and children and Indigenous people at whaling stations is still young, but it is already yielding results.