A LIVING HISTORY BLOG.

18TH CENTURY LIVING HISTORY IN AUSTRALIA.

Monday 24 January 2011

Settler's Cabins.

One of the most common homes built by settlers in America and Australia was the wattle and daub cabin or hut. This type was common back in the old country, so it was a natural method to use in a new country. All the ones shown here are in Australia.




This one made of upright timbers between main corner posts.

This one is the same as above. Built in a forest in Tasmania. I camped in a similar cabin in the Snowy Mountains in winter for about a month.

4 comments:

murphyfish said...

Hello Keith,
It seems to me that colonists seldom seem to adopt native living methods or ways, and always tried to imprint life styles from the 'home country', whether they settled in America or Australia. Shame really as I suspect alot of lessons of how to survive the new found lands could have been learnt and not lost. Interesting piece as always my friend.
Regards,
John

Keith said...

For the most part it does seem that way John. I have read where early settlers dug small caves into earth banks and lived in apalling conditions until they could construct a cabin/hut.

Gorges Smythe said...

As you probably know, the "American log cabin" was actually from Scandinavia. Wattle and daub was tried first, but didn't hold up well in the New World's more extreme climate.

As for native architecture, it was the modern buildings that collapsed in Haiti's earth quake, NOT the native huts.

Keith said...

Good post Gorges, thank you.